


Fight For Me

by vintage_grace



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2019-02-10 05:56:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 36
Words: 91,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12905532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vintage_grace/pseuds/vintage_grace
Summary: Andy, short for Alexandria, has never really gotten along with her father. The main reason is that he never really wanted a daughter; the other reason, Andy wants to be a singer. She has a small band with some of her friends and is hoping to gain popularity, that way she can fulfill her end of their 'deal.' Andy is currently seventeen, but she made a deal with her father a few years ago, if she could join a band (or even just be a solo artist) and gain some popularity he would sign her to his company (yes, her father founded a huge recording label) and let her follow her dreams.There's a catch to this little deal though, one that Andy never knew about. She only has the summer before her senior year left to fulfill the deal, twist is she has to spend the entire summer under her father's roof. What will happen when her over-protective and demanding father forces Andy to spend the entire summer 'helping out' one of his top bands? And what happens when she starts falling for one of its members?





	1. Chapter 1

"Alright, class, take out your notes and turn to page 239 of your textbooks." My nasally voiced teacher says with a bored sigh, and I find myself already zoning out. My thoughts wander for a bit before they start coming up with a song, and before I realize it I'm tapping my foot to my imaginary beat and writing down lyrics in my notebook.

"Miss Parker, your attention, please." Ms. James shouts from the front of the room, her harsh gaze fixated on me.

I can't help but shiver under her gaze as I reply, "Yes, ma'am." She doesn't look convinced, but continues on with her lesson anyways. I mentally groan as I shrink back into my seat, this is the only class period I have without any of my friends. They all got to take Mrs. Cartwright's class, and I had the horrendous luck of being in Ms. James's, who isn't exactly known for her riveting presentation of the material or her cheery attitude. This would be an impossible reputation, seeing as how she has lacks both of these 'good teacher qualities.'

The minutes drag by and as it does I convince myself listening to an hour of nails scratching a chalkboard would be preferred to listening to Ms. James's voice. I swear, she has time slowing technology hidden in these walls, because it's almost stopped in here. The bell rings and everyone, myself included, makes a run for the door each of us sighing in relief when we reach the cramped hallway. I take a deep breath. "One more hour that I'm free at last." I tell myself as I manipulate my way through the sea of people.

"ANDY! WAIT UP!" A voice rings through the packed school hallway, as a head of bright red hair bobs up and down.

"Hey, Skylar." I say as my best friend catches up to me, almost panting for breath. "You okay? You seem a little bit worn down, I thought with all the drumming you do you'd be able to make it through the school hallways without running out of breath." I say jokingly, which earn me a glare.

"I'm short! It takes more work for me to make it through the herd of giants, plus you practically run wherever you go." Sky tells me as a matter of fact.

"I do not 'practically run wherever I go'!" I try to argue back. Sky doesn't reply, just raises an eyebrow and keeps walking. I know it's no use arguing with her so I catch up with her and change the subject. "Whatever, where are the guys?"

"Mrs. Cartwright wanted to talk to them, I'm pretty sure it's just to lecture them about having a paper-wad basketball competition during class." I laugh and roll my eyes, they can be real idiots some times. "They told me it would probably be only a few minutes, and they'll catch up to us at study hall."

"Alright, let me just stop by my locker and we can head over." I tell Skylar, who nods as we turn down yet another hallway, stopping at my locker. I start to spin my combination in as Skylar leans against the lockers to wait for me. I quickly toss my books in, leaving the ones I don't need and shoving the rest into my backpack, which I toss over my shoulder and we head off to our next period. As we walk I can't help but notice an extra bounce in Skylar's step. "What's got you in such a good mood?" I question as she begins to hum.

"What do you mean?" She asks playing dumb. I return the same raised eyebrow look she gave me earlier as we walk. "I'll tell you once the guys get here. Let's just get to class before we're late." I sigh, nodding as we pick up our pace to the library.

We make it inside just as the bell rings, and quickly make our way over to our usual table. Skylar and I sit down, and I look at her expectantly. "So are you going to tell me now?"

"The boys aren't here yet..." As if on cue the library door opens, and three clamoring boys walk in, hand a pass to the class supervisor and joining us at the table.

I give them a look of disapproval as I say, "A paper-wad basketball game, really?" As I talk they look down at the table and shrink in their seats, Skylar does her best to conceal her laughter, especially as I continue talking. "What were you thinking? Having a game without me?" I say with mock hurt, the boys look up and we all begin laughing, which gains us an angry "shhh" from the class advisor. Once we recover and finally quiet down, I turn to Skylar. "They're here now, so what were you waiting to tell everyone?"

"What news?" Matt asks, looking around at everyone.

"Well, you guys know how my parents have a place in the Hampton's?" Skylar asks, we all nod knowing exactly which house she's referring to, we've spent quite a few summers there with Skylar and her parents. "My parents said you guys could come with us again this summer, and my mom is going to see if she can get our band on the audition list for the summer benefit concert!" I almost miss the last few words of what she said, partially due to my shock, and the rest caused by her squealing. Skylar's parents are pretty rich, and every summer they help to sponsor a huge benefit, which practically all of the successful and elite attend. Let's just say that it's very hard to get a chance for a band to audition for the event.

"Are you serious?" Damian asks the question we're all thinking.

"Completely." She said with a huge smile, which only slightly shrinks with her next words. "Although, we wouldn't be able to play all of our usual stuff. We would have to play only songs the event planners approve of...."

Luke interrupts her before she ramble on too much. "Skylar, I think we could handle that. I mean if we make it we'll be playing in front of the people who could make our dream happen."

"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity." I say, to which everyone nods in agreement with. We continue on the subject for a little while before we start talking about other things. Time flies by as we joke around, even while we finish up school work. The bell rings signaling the end of the day, we gather up our stuff, and head out.

"Are we having a band meeting tonight?" Damian asks on our way out the front doors.

"Sure, it's not like I have anything else to do on the Friday night before exam week." Matt says, before commenting, "Well, other than studying, but I really don't feel like doing that."

We all laugh and agree. "Whose place?" Luke asks.

"I think it's my turn. Let me just check in with my mom to be sure it's okay."

"What are you talking about? Band mom loves having us over." Matt says, swinging his arm over my shoulder. "If she says no, tell her I'll bring Mario's for her, that always convinces her."

"Um... Matt, I think you're referring to Andy." Damian says with bit of a laugh.

"Yeah, but Band Mom is related to Andy, which automatically means she loves pizza."

I just shake my head and laugh at Matt's unique thought process. My phone vibrates, and I look down to see my mother's reply. Mom: That's alright with me. I'm working late tonight anyways, so have fun. Left money on the counter for food, call me if you need anything :) "She's said it's alright."

"Awesome! Told you she'd be cool with it, and I didn't even have to mention pizza." Matt says with a dorky smile. "I'll see you at your place in a bit, Andy."

"Us, too." Damian and Skylar say joining Matt as they start heading home. Luke and I stand on the curbside, waiting to catch a taxi, like we do everyday, after all, our apartments are only a block away from each other.

We finally catch a taxi, and we ride the rest of the way in silence. "Mind if I come with you?" Luke asks as we pull up to my building.

"No, I don't mind. Come on up." I tell him, as I pass the taxi driver our fare.

"Hey! It was my turn to pay the fare." Luke tells me as we walk into my building and up the elevator.

"Don't worry about it. It's not that big of a deal."

"At least let me pay you back." He says trying to hand me the money, but I just refuse it. "Fine, than I'm getting the pizza." I just roll my eyes at him, there's no point in arguing, we're both stubborn people and neither of us would give in.

We get in the apartment, and Luke instantly makes himself at home. "I'm going to go change, I'll be right back." I yell to Luke as I head up the stairs. I quickly change into one of my band tees and yoga pants before heading back downstairs.

I walk down the stairs and grab the money my mom left off of the counter. I speed dial my favorite pizza place, (because who doesn't have their favorite pizza place on speed dial?) which is luckily just down the street. It rings a few times before a familiar voice rings, "Hello! Mario's Pizza!"

"Hey, Mario." I say in a friendly tone.

"Andy!" Mario shouts almost making me drop my phone, which is a usual volume for Mario.

"Yes, it's me. I was just wanting to order the usual."

"Sure thing , Andy! Anything for my favorite customer." I can just picture Mario right now standing in his shop, giving with a cheesy grin on his face.

"Thank you! Luke should be by to pick it up soon."

"Alright! I have ready when your friend come by." Mario says, ending the call as he begins to shout the order to his employees.

Yeah, I know what you're probably thinking. "Does she really order pizza so often that they know her name and order?" The answer to that is 1,000,000% yes. I sit myself on a bar stool in front of the counter, setting down my phone as I open up my laptop. Might as well, the pizza shouldn't be ready for a little while. "I called Mario, he said it'll ready in a little bit." I shout over to Luke.

"Okay, I'll go ahead and head over to wait and pick it up then." He replies as he starts to head out the door.

I nod and wave as I open up my laptop an begin to go through my usually routine, basically just browsing Twitter, checking our sound cloud and YouTube accounts. There are a lot of really sweet comments on our latest cover, "Sugar, We're Going Down" by Fall Out Boy. I'm in the middle of replying to some comments when a ringtone spills through my laptop speakers.

I curiously look to see that I'm receiving a Skype call. I open the app to see who it is. I look at the username and instantly accept the call. "Hello? Andy? You there?" A familiar voice asks.

"Yeah, I'm here. Hold on one second. I'll remove the tape the camera." I reply peeling off the tape. I watch the screen and see his face light up once the camera has a view. "Hey, Mason." I almost whisper waving at the camera, still finding it hard to believe he's actually there.

"Hey, Andy. Gosh, it's been far too long since I got to see you, even through a computer. I miss you." Mason, my twin brother, says.

"I miss you too! How long has it been? What about eight months since we were last able to talk?" I ask, in a short explanation it's really hard for us to talk often. One reason being our dad, who absolutely hates me; the other is the time differences and busy schedules.

"Yeah, just about, and as I said too long. So..." He says his voice trailing into a silence. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. You?" I ask, we spend a long time like that, just talking catching up on what has happened in these long months, and doing our best to avoid any touchy subjects.

We talk for a few minutes before, Mason changes the topic. "I have a question. How's your end of the deal coming?" He says obviously doing his best to tread lightly.

"It's going well. I've got a band with some old friends, and a few I've made over the years. You can look us up.... Go to YouTube or Soundcloud and type in 'Tidal Wave'."

I watch as he opens up a browser, stopping mid keystroke. "Wait... Why is it Tidal Wave?"

I just nod my head. "Don't bother asking why we call ourselves that because it's a long story."

Mason chuckles as he shakes his head, continuing to type in our band. I wait as he plays a few of our covers, intently watching his face for a reaction. "So... What do you think?" I ask hopefully.

"Honestly?" He asks raising an eyebrow. "You guys are really good, and I'm not saying this as your twin brother, but as a professional. Who listens to big time people everyday and says you have more raw talent than quite a few bands out there."

"Um... Pardon the interruption but... What?! Did I just hear that right?" I hear someone shout from behind me. Great, what am I doing to do about this?


	2. Chapter 2

I turn to see my bandmates have arrived, with the pizza. Two of them are standing shocked mouths agape, the other two just stand there knowingly and continue on trying to act as if nothing has happened.

"Thanks, Mason, it means a lot to hear that. Anyways, I have to go. I'll try to talk to you soon, okay?" He just nods his head and says 'love ya, sis.' To which I reply before ending the call.

"What was that all about?!" Skylar, the drummer of our band, asks with her voice on the verge of becoming a shout.

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind knowing either." Matt says, much more calmly than Skylar did but still a bit upset. I watch Damian also nod his head in agreement.

"Oh, c'mon guys. It's not that big of a deal." Luke says nonchalantly as he brings the pizza over to the counter where I sit.

I smile thankfully at him, which he returns with a sympathetic nod. Luke and Damian were here when all the insanity began, but I don't think Damian knows the full story. Both of them, Mason, and I have been friends since we were kids. "Wait, do you know all about what's going on?" Damian asks Luke, and although his tone is questioning he doesn't seem too upset or defensive.

"Yeah. He knows, because he was here when everything happened. Damian, you know most of the story. C'mon I'll explain everything while we eat." At the mention of food, the hard feelings seem to diminish. I mean, Skylar and Matt still looks upset, but less than I expected.

"So... What's the story?" Matt asks as we all grab our food before sitting down in the living room.

"I hope you guys have time because it's a long story." I say with a sigh, they nod as they shift around getting comfortable. "Okay... I guess the only place to start is the beginning. You guys already know I have 3 older brothers, Phil and Nico, who you've met a bunch of times, and Mason, my twin."

"I don't remember ever meeting him." Matt states, and Skylar chimes in her agreement.

"Yeah, that'd because he lives with my dad." I sigh, running a hand through my hair as I continue. "My dad... He never really wanted a daughter, although I could never figure out why. When I was little, it wasn't that obvious, he would treat me just like my brothers. He'd take us to baseball games, spend his days off with us, but as I got older, that started to change. He started pushing me away, getting upset at me over little things, but it started getting worse.

"He even started pushing my mom away, and shortly after, they got a divorce. When it came to the custody battle, my parents weren't too worried about Phil and Nico, they only had a little while before they were off to college. As for Mason and I, my mom wanted to keep us together. My dad only wanted Mason, he fought ever second for him, but not for me." My voice softens as I say the last part.

"I think you guys can tell how that battle turned out. My dad got Mason, split custody for Phil and Nico, and once they were off to college moved as far away as he could. I don't really get to see Mason that often, and when I do it's mostly through a computer screen. But that's who I was talking to when you guys came in."

"Andy, I'm so sorry." Skylar says leaning over to give me a hug.

"Don't be. It's all in the past, there's no way of changing it, and no reason to dwell in it." I tell her as I pull away from the hug.

"But, wait, what did your brother mean when he said 'as a professional, who listens to big time people all day'?" Skylar asks eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"He works in an L.A. record company, and he was telling me his opinion on our band." I reply, which piqued everyone's attention.

"What did he say?!" Damian asks on the edge of his seat.

"That we have more raw talent than some of the big stars that he's heard."

"You're kidding." Skylar almost shouts.

"Wow." Luke says leaning back in his seat.

"Mm, Mario makes the best pizza." Matt says completely off subject. We all just break out into laughter.

Matt has always been that person. The one who makes our days brighter with his strange ways. A lot of times people think he's just insensitive or even stupid, but we know the truth. He's actually a genius, always getting straight A's. He just a little oblivious, but it usually works in his favor. I don't know what we'd do if he hadn't agreed to be in the band.

"He does have a point though. Mario's is the best. No argument can be made about that." Damian pipes up.

We slowly start up a conversation, I get distracted as I wonder how I got so lucky to have them as friends, much less as bandmates. It's funny though, because we're different people, yet somehow we mesh together.

For example: Damian is the jokester of the group. If there is ever a joke to be told, Damian will be the one to tell it. You can't help but laugh when he's laughing. He's only ever serious when he needs to be, he basically has two modes: funny/joking and temporarily serious.

Skylar is the group drama queen. She freaks out the moment she runs out of pizza and/or Nutella. I guess you could say she's kind of a tumblr girl; but she's hilarious, smart, unique, and a great friend.

Now Luke, he's the 'gossip queen' as we call it. If there is drama stirring anywhere: fandoms, school, in the band, you name it, he'll be the first to know. I never know how he does it, he just knows. He's a great person, and a loyal friend.

I smile to myself and chuckle. I didn't realize it but I had apparently caught the attention of my bandmates. "What's so funny?" Luke asked me.

"Nothing. It's odd, how all of us on paper wouldn't be friends, yet here we are: best friends and bandmates." I watch all of their reactions as they ponder the same things.

"She's right. We never would be friends, I guess it just goes to show that everything in life isn't as expected." Matt says, entering into one of his deep, heartfelt moments; which reminds me how he's the one I can always have an intelligent deep conversation with.

"What is it with you two being all deep and philosophical?" Skylar asks with a chuckle and a small smirk.

"What can I say it's just comes naturally." I say with a shrug. We spend the rest of our time, watching movies, laughing and talking until we all fall asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Ouch. I squint my eyes back shut, as I took over to avoid the blinding stream of sunlight. I push myself up, with a groan, and something catches attention as I do so. The gentle droning of the news intermingles with the clatter of pots and pans, and is that food I smell. Let's see, there are two options to how explain what's happening. Either a burglar came in watched the news while he was robbing and cooked us breakfast, or my mom is home. I'm going to go with the more logical explanation and say my mom is home.

I untangle myself from the swarm of blankets. Before finding my footing and maneuvering my way through the tangle of my bandmates, doing my best not to wake them up. Unfortunately, I'm a complete klutz, and while pivoting to another space, I fell. On top of Luke, who was kindly woken up me face planting the floor.

"Ow." Luke grumbled as I moved off of him. "Nice to know some things never change."

"Sorry, Lukey." I reply, giving him a flash of my big blue eyes. "You know I've never been very graceful."

"Yeah, I know."

"C'mon, let's go get some breakfast since we're already up." I offer him my hand, which he takes, and we head towards the kitchen.

As we get closer, the smell of food gets stronger and we can see my mother cooking. "Hey, mom." I greet, taking a seat on one the bar stools, and Luke does the same.

My mom turns around, gives us a large smile. "Hey, there sleeping beauty, and Andy." My mom says once she catches sight of us. "I see you had a band meeting while I was gone." I nod and smile at the faint chuckle she has when she says that.

"You don't mind though?" I ask knowing the typical answer, but wanting to double check.

"No, of course I don't mind. Believe it or not, it makes me happy to know you're spending time with your friends. I get worried whenever you coop yourself up in your room." I understand the indirect meaning of her words, but that is a subject best left alone. As she speaks, she walks over giving me a tight hug. I smile at her and return the hug. I know the stereotypical teenager completely hates their parent(s) because they think they're so controlling; but I don't,well I don't hate one of them. My mom is pretty much my best friend, she worries, just like any good parent, but she also let's me have freedom.

"So did you have a good time last night?" She asks, as she returns to cooking breakfast.

At her question I find a lump in my throat. Typically, the answer is 'good' or 'awesome,' but this time something holds me back, last night's band meeting was more of a bonding experience than anything. Luckily, before my silence lasts too long, Luke replies for me. "It was really good, Ms. Parker."

"I'm glad to hear that." She replies with a smile. "Why don't you two go wake..."

She gets interrupted, by the multiple shouts of "Band Mom!" From the living room. I chuckle at my bandmates. They insist on calling my mother 'band mom,' probably because she is the one always helping us with anything band related. Still, we're close to everyone's parents, but they declared that mine is the official.

"Hmm, I wonder if they're awake yet?" I ask my mom, my voice dripping with sarcasm. My mom just laughs as she greets everyone. "I'm pretty sure she's my mom, not yours guys."

"What do you mean by that?!" Skylar asks acting 'offended.' She continues talking as she walks over holding my mother's shoulders as she says, "She's band mom. Meaning she is the entire band's mother! So no being selfish."

"Yeah, Andy. Don't be selfish! Ooh, food!" Matt says, getting distracted by my mother's food.

"Yes, I did make breakfast. Now why don't you boys go set the table, and Skylar, Andy, if you'll help me take it to the table." She says, shooing the boys out of the kitchen with napkins and silverware in their hands, and handing Skylar and I plates of food for everyone.

"Yes, ma'am." We all reply as we continue about in our designated jobs. Once everyone is seated we start eating our food, and having animated conversations. This, I think to myself, this is how mornings should be spent, talking and just enjoying time with friends and family.

We end up losing track of time like this, but at one point Luke pipes up while looking at his phone, "Sorry, everyone, but it looks as if I have to bail. My parents want me home." He say his goodbyes as he leaves the table, putting his dishes away and gives us all one last wave before goes.

"Well, I think the rest of us are probably due at home too." Skylar says as her and everyone else get up from the table, following the same motions as Luke did. Before they leave they each make sure to thank my mom. "Bye, Andy! We'll see you soon!" They say in unison before exiting the apartment.

My mom stands up grabbing both of our plates as she walks into the kitchen. "Here, I'll help you clean up, Mom." I say, following her into the kitchen. For a while, we just both clean up in a comfortable silence, the only sound is the kitchen sink dispensing water, and the dishwasher running its cycle.

"I think that's all of it, so I'm going to take a shower." I say as I leave the kitchen. I don't really pay attention to see if she responds as I go up to my room. I rush to get inside and close the door. My knees give way underneath me, and I just sit there. I don't even know why, but it feels like the world is on my shoulders. It's felt like this since I talked with Mason last night, I just kept brushing it off and pretending nothing was wrong.

Don't do this again. You can't do this again. I think to myself. I can't let myself go to my default, just like every time I talk to one of my siblings after a long time, I just want to shut down. It's like I realize what isn't going well, and how long it's been since I've seen them. Which typically just makes me lock myself up, until someone dives deep enough to pull me out. I probably just need some time, that's all. Hey, at least Dad hasn't been nagging me as is usual. Which is a good thing, with only a week left before finals at school, I really don't need this and my Dad pestering me about our "deal."

I get up off the floor, grab some clothes as I walk into my bathroom to take a shower. I still remember the day I made that deal with him. It was my thirteenth birthday, but it still feels like yesterday. I climb into the shower letting the memory wash over me with the water.

"Mason! Alex! It's time to open your gifts!" My father shouts as she motions for Mason and I to come sit down.

"Coming, Mom!" Mason shouts as he grabs my hand, forcing me to run along with him to the table. "Andy, you sit right there." Mason motions me to a seat as he sits in his own.

"Mom, Dad, is it alright if we open each other's gifts first?" I ask, smiling at my family around me. This is a rare occasion, all of my brothers, my parents, and even my uncle all in the same place at once.

"Yeah, that's alright." Mom says, handing us the presents we got for each other.

"Same time?" Mason questions looking at me. I just nod in reply as we both simultaneously open the presents. My eyes widen in surprise, I look up at my twin mouth agape; I laugh when I see he has the same expression. "How did you know?!?" We both semi-shout simultaneously, and then laugh at how in sync we always seem to be.

"What did you two get each other?" Our Uncle Jamie asks trying to see inside the boxes. We both hold up matching shirts decorated with the Marvel emblem. We all just laugh, we both love superheroes, Marvel. It was probably just coincidental that we got each other matching shirts.

We spent some time opening presents. Nick and Phil both chipped in from their limited budget to get the two of us each $25 iTunes gift cards. "Thanks, Phil! Thank you, Nick!" I say giving my eighteen and nineteen old brothers a tight hug.

"Alright, my gift next." Uncle Jamie says. Mason at I give each other a look, knowing our uncle it's either really cool, or just plain weird. I tentatively take the present from my uncle. I wait for Mason before peeling back the wrapping. I catch sight of the box and see that my uncle got me a really nice cam-corder. "Andy, that's for you to video your music, or to start making some films of your own. You have an amazing talent that deserves to be shared properly; and Mason, that's for you to keep up the practicing so you can get even better." I do my best not to cry from joy, as I rush over giving him a hug. It's only a moment before Mason walks over to thank him too.

"Okay. It's time for mine. Andy, yours is over there. Mason, yours is right beside it." Mom says after a moment. I release my uncle as I walk in the general direction my mom was pointing. Leaning against the wall of our apartment's living room are two large boxes, one labeled 'Mason' the other 'Andy.'

"Do you have any idea what it is?" I whisper to Mason as we gently lay them on the floor.

"None. How about we find out though?" He gives me his classic smile as he unwraps his gift. I follow his lead and peel back the delicate paper. I can't help but gasp at the sight. My mom got both Mason and I instruments, him a keyboard, and me a guitar. "Mom... How did you know?"

Our mother just chuckles as she shaking her head. "I'm your mom, it's my job to know."

"Molly, James, can I speak to the both of you for a moment?" Dad says motioning towards the kitchen. Mom and Uncle Jamie just follow him into the kitchen giving us an unconvincing half smile before they leave.

"What's going on?" I ask, looking to my siblings for answers.

"We don't know, Andy." Phil responds.

"I'll be back in a minute." I tell them getting up. They all eye me suspiciously as I walk out. "Don't worry I'm just going to the bathroom." I lie hoping they believe it. I leave them in the living room and lean against the wall just outside the kitchen.

"What's all this about, John?" I can hear my mother, moving about re kitchen as she speaks. I peer in and see my uncle giving my dad a look, as he just leans against the counter.

"Well, I just wanted to talk to you two for a minute." He sighs, then continues. "I don't appreciate you two giving Alex musical instruments and cameras to video her music. It's encouraging her to be something she's not, which is a singer or even a musician. You're leading her down a path that will only lead to her getting hurt. Trust me, I know the music industry, and she will never make it..." He motions out the door as he continues to speak but I don't really hear any of it, his words are still ringing in my ears. Once he's finished talking the air becomes weighted. My mother freezes mid movement, my uncle looks like he's about to punch something (or more specifically someone.)

"How dare you. She is your daughter. You should be encouraging her, not downgrading her before you even hear her." My mother says, obviously trying not to yell.

"Molly, I own a huge recording label. If anyone would know the industry it would be me. I know she won't make it." He says not even blinking. I bit my tongue to keep from crying, it's true he hasn't ever heard me sing or even play an instrument, he's never bothered to even try.

"Don't you dare say that. Why do you do this? You should be thinking everyday how lucky you are to have a daughter as amazing and talented as her; but all you do is treat her like she's nothing. Just give her a chance, John." My uncle tells my father, his face becoming red.

I don't know why, but I soon find myself in the kitchen. "Dad," my voice comes out broken and pained, but I continue on, "why won't you just give me a chance."

My father turns to me, one eyebrow raised in surprise, "Fine, Alexandria." He remains silent for a few minutes, obviously thinking deeply about something. "You want a chance, I'll give you one chance. How does this sound, you have until the summer before your senior year of high school to gain popularity as either a solo artist or in a band. If you gain a sizable fan base, than I'll sign you to my company." I stand there in shock, he mumbles a few phrases after that but I'm not paying any attention, I'm just so happy.

I do my best to keep my face completely blank as I stretch out my hand. "You've got yourself a deal."

After that my father just walked out of the kitchen with a self-satisfied smirk on his face, but I never knew why. All I remember after that is he and Mason left early. Unfortunately, that was one of the few times I've been able to see Mason in person, other than that it's the rare phone call and text, because if my father knew he would get really mad at him. Let's just say my father is controlling, but even that is quite an understatement.

I finish up my shower and get dressed. Just going through the motions of and everyday routine. I throw on a basic pair of denim shorts and a basic T-shirt. I walk into my room, grabbing my duffel bag and tossing in some gym clothes, sneakers and my after workout kit. I wait a few more minutes, trying to let the steam diffuse from my bathroom. I walk in and begin drying my hair, then putting it up in an extremely messy bun and deciding to just skip any makeup entirely because what's the point of putting it on if I'm going to the gym. Honestly, I'm not a huge makeup person, but I typically use it to just cover up imperfections and basic stuff.

I double check my bag before rushing out my bedroom door and down the stairs. "Hey, Mom. I'm going out for for a bit, probably stop by the gym too. I'll see you when I get back!" I shout as I grab the keys.

"Alright, drive safely." She shouts back from the kitchen.

I walk out into the parking structure of our building. I hop into my car, start ignition, and just pause for a moment. I rest my head against the steering wheel. Okay, moment over. I shift the car into gear as I back out of my parking space. I really hate traffic here, but it's to be expected it is a big city after all.

I hate silence, but I have no choice but to deal with it for the duration of my drive. My radio was stolen from my car a few months back, nothing else, just the radio. I would have replaced it but I didn't want to give my mom another thing to do or worry about. Let me tell you something though, when you have to sit in complete silence with only your thoughts to occupy the time, what comes to mind can be pretty strange. Every time I drive I'm can't help but think of Car Radio by Twenty-One Pilots.

I force myself to just keep my eyes on the road and try to keep my thoughts from drifting. I just hum to myself and focus on the song and the road, letting that be the only things to occupy my time. Apparently, it doesn't work as well as I hoped, because eventually my thoughts would make the midnight sky seem as bright as the sun. It's not as if I want to be like this.

I hate falling down the rabbit hole, especially when I tripped myself into it. My talk with Mason the other day made me realize something I've been trying to ignore for a while. A few years to be more specific. I realized a few things, one: my dad hates me no matter what I do. Which doesn't make sense, from what mom has told me he had always wanted kids. Why am I so different from my brothers? Secondly I realized how terribly I miss my family, not just seeing them, but us all being together and not arguing. I don't know why I have these thoughts, there isn't any point dreaming of the past returning or hoping for my dad to care. Wishing for either is like trying to move a mountain with one hand.

"Take a breath, evaluate the situation, and move on accordingly. It's okay to dream, just as long as it isn't for the impossible." My older brother's voice seems to whisper to me from the corner of my mind; so that is exactly what I do. I dream the same dream from when I was young, try to make a difference through music. I dream that my family, although torn, can still find a way to happily patch itself together. My evaluation of the situation: things won't be perfect, because that's impossible; but there is always a chance at happiness. As I park the car in front of the gym, I smile somehow finding a way to move forward, even when the momentum seems lost. Because there are just those times in life where we have no choice but to keep our heads up.


	4. Chapter 4

I turn the engine off, and grab my stuff, before I unbuckle and head towards the gym's entrance. A fresh spring breeze drifts by as I get to the entrance. I walk through the door and head towards the locker rooms. I pass one of the trainers and greet her as I pass by. "Hi, Gianna."

"Hello, Andy." She says as smiling as I walk past her as she puts up flyers, I smile in return as I head to the locker room. The locker room here isn't as most people would expect. Firstly, it doesn't smell gross, and also it is extremely clean. I pull my key from my duffel bag as I open my locker. I unlock it, grab my gym shoes and workout clothes from my bag before placing it in it's place. I look around to make sure no one else is in the room before changing, not many women come to this gym, but I always check to be sure. In case you couldn't tell, I'm pretty self-consious. Let's just put it this way, I'm happy with the way that I am, but I'm not a stick thin person. I have curves, no one can deny that, I'm just well proportioned in them, I'm perfectly happy the way I am. Although, just because I actually like the way I am doesn't mean every one else thinks the same thing. I finish changing and grab my equipment, along with my armband that holds my phone as I work out.

Equipment in my hand I head out to the gym again, which is filled with trainers and their trainees, some in the ring, some at the other various equipment. I smile as I take a breath, putting in my music before heading to a secluded corner of the room where no one else was working out in. I slip on my gloves and start punching the bag, to the beat of my music releasing all the stress, pain, frustration. The chains rattle with every punch, bouncing back, before I punch and send them rattling again. I can't help but think of so many things: my brothers (who I haven't seen for months), my father and how I never seem to be good enough for him, of my bandmates and how long I've kept the secret of the 'deal' from them. I punch harder with every thought; especially when I start thinking about my father, and how I need to tell my bandmates. I need to win this deal and prove my father wrong about me. I keep hitting the bag for what feels like hours, that is until I start to feel pain rush through my fingers from all the punches I've thrown, even with having the gloves on.

I step back from the bag, sliding down the nearby wall, I watch it sway back and forth from the momentum of the punches. I remove my gloves, stretching my fingers in an attempt to rid myself of the pain, I remove my earbuds and just close my eyes focusing on the sounds of the gym. I hear footsteps approaching before a voice asks, "You alright, Andy?" The voice is familiar, I know who it is without even having to look. I nod, before slightly opening my eyes.

The person before me is who I expected, Anthony, better known to many as Matt's Dad. Yeah, it's how Matt and I started becoming friends, he helps his dad out here every once in a while, and Matt and I started becoming friends over time. "Andy, I know how you were when I first started training you. You're dedicated, but you have times like that," he says motioning to the bag, "whenever you let things build up for too long." I look at him, trying not to hide the truth. "You don't have to say it, trust me when I say I can see it. Matt is does the same thing, as you probably know." As he finishes speaking, I know it's true, Matt and I are very similar in the aspect, we bottle things up for as long as we can until it all comes out in a major burst. "Do you wanna talk about it?" I avoid looking at him as he takes a seat next to me. I know Tony can tell that I need someone to talk to about it, he is the only person, other than my Uncle Jamie, that has sort of been like a father to me.

I sigh, "No, I don't really want to talk about it at the moment." He just nods, giving me an understanding look, and sighs as he stands up.

"Well, if you don't want to talk, do you still want to train?" He asks motioning to the bag I was hitting a few minutes ago.

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind training for a bit still," I pause flexing my hand, still feeling some pain in my knuckles. "but I think I overdid it on the bag."

He gives me a condescending look as he looks over my sore knuckles. "Yeah, you really did a number on them this time. My advice would be to go home, ice and tape them up." He says handing my gloves to me, I know there is no way I can stay here and keep training; so I just take my gloves back, and nod before heading back to the locker room.

I wave goodbye to Tony, as I start walking to the locker room. I pass by the various people as they train while listening to their music, or talking to their trainer, and I can't help but think if their here hoping to get into better shape, or, to like me, came to relieve the pressure they've built up over time.

I don't pay attention to what I'm doing as I walk into the locker room and automatically open mine. I hang my gloves up, removing my arm band, and checking my phone. I can't let help but let out a low whistle, I've been here pounding away at that bag for hours. And that my mom sent me a text asking when I was going to be back. I send a quick reply before I clean up, and quickly change. Within a few min tires I'm done, grab my car keys and start on my way out of the gym.

I walk out the door saying a quick goodbye to Gianna. A chill has started to settle in the hours of my gym time. I double check my phone and see it is already two thirty, and seeing as how I left the house around noon says just how easy it is for me to loose track of time. I just sigh, shoving my phone back into my bag, and quickly getting into my car as I head home.

I really hate this silence, it eats away at me. I chew my bottom lip, once again having only my thoughts to occupy the time. My thoughts end up wandering to the things that I was pounding the bag to forget. I sigh knowing that there are certain things I need to do, because if I wait any longer the secrets will eat me alive. I make a turn at a different street, changing my destination, not yet ready to head home. It only takes a moment before I find the parking complex not to far from my final destination. I mentally congratulate myself as I pull into the perfect parking space and grab my phone before getting out. I send out a quick group message to the band telling them to meet me at the local coffee shop, as I walk along the crowded sidewalk surrounding the parking structure.

It only took a minute before I got everyone's replies saying that they are all on their way. I take a deep breath, and I enter the building and order a tea, I really don't need caffeine before what I'm about to say to them. The cashier just smiles at me before asking, "You want the usual?" I just politely shake my head and tell her my order, this us my favorite little shop, one which I visit frequently. I pay for my drink as I grab a table big enough for all of us, my foot tapping out a strange rhythm as I anxiously wait for my friends and my order. For a second, I lay my head on the table, not entirely confident about what I'm preparing to do, but knowing it has to be done, sooner than later.

The bell above the door gently chimes, and my head instantly shoots to see who entered. A. stranger walks in, I force myself to take another deep breath knowing I have to calm down about this. I really hope they don't hate me when they know the entire truth. "Andy!" Someone calls from behind the counter, I stand up and retrieve my drink, taking slow sips allowing the heat from the liquid warm my hands and burn my mouth.

As I sit back down, soon enough finding myself fading into my thoughts. I'm lost to the world for a few moments before I feel a hand barely touch my shoulder. I jump, looking up to see who is trying to get my attention, only to see Luke. "Hey," he says finding a seat next to me, "what's all this about?"

"Well, let me put it his way... I think it's time, they need to know about the deal, my father, everything...They need to know the whole truth." I tell him, not breaking eye contact with his bright green eyes. I try to gauge his reaction, and his expression is one of complete shock. "They need to know everything. I just have a feeling, almost as if I don't tell them now it will just be worse the longer I wait. Plus, knowing my dad..." I can't quite finish my sentence, but Luke finishes it for me.

"Knowing your dad there will be some sort of twist, or 'fine print' he used to say if I remember correctly." He mumbles, I just nod. We sit in silence for a few moments, I just glance around the store waiting for everyone else to arrive, before I notice Luke running a hand through his hair as he often does when he is worried over something.

"What's bothering you?" I ask, he looks at me ready to brush it off before he notices my panicked expression, and realizing there is no way out telling me.

He sighs, dropping his head and turning his focus to the table. "I'm just not sure how they'll take it. Matt and Damian will probably be cool with it, maybe even excited. Skylar on the other hand..."

"Will most likely make a big deal about it." I finish for him, it's true. Skylar is the drama queen of our group, whenever something happens Skylar will either get really upset or completely calm, but there is no way to tell how she'll react. "It doesn't matter though, if Skylar makes a big deal about it then we'll have to deal with it and wait until she cools off, maybe you or the other guys could talk to her about it. One thing that we know for certain is that the band has to stay together, not just for me, but for all of us. We've become so close over these years, and I don't want to be the reason that gets messed up, even if it means I'm not a part of it anymore."

"Hey, guys what's up?" Matt says as he and Damian sit down. I give Luke a side glance silently hoping he can answer my question as to if we should tell the boys now, he gives me a slight nod. "Okay seriously, what's going on? You two are doing that silent talking thing you always do when you have a secret or whatever." Matt says gesturing between Luke and myself.

"Okay," I sigh fiddling with the hem of band t-shirt as I continue speaking. "Remember how yesterday I told you a lot about my past?" I watch as they both give me a small nod. "Well, I didn't tell you guys everything. I mean, I didn't tell you everything that involves you guys, more specifically the band." I really don't want to see their expressions right now, so I just keep talking. "What I didn't tell you, was at my thirteenth birthday party, my Uncle Jamie and my mom gave me the guitar and camera to use for my music and making videos." I stop for a second and take a deep breath. "Anyways, my dad didn't really approve, and at one point he asked them to talk. Long story short, he didn't like them encouraging my love for music. He didn't know I was listening, and I confronted him about it. I'll skip over the details and just get to the important part, my dad made a deal with me. He has a huge recording label, and I have until the end of this summer to gain popularity with a band or as a solo artist, and if I do he'll give us a record deal."

I look up at their faces, Matt and Damian are in complete shock, Luke on the other hand just stared at the table looking extremely uncomfortable. "Are you serious?" Damian says as he recovers from the shock. "You mean we actually may get a record deal?!" I just nod shyly, unsure of where this may go. He just starts smiling and laughing as he runs around the table and snatching me up into a tight hug.

"And to think I missed out on all this fun because of traffic." A voice says from beside us. Damian releases me from the hug and he turns to Skylar, his smile never faltering.

"Sky, we have great news!" He says inviting her to sit as we all return to our seats. I stare at the table, faking a smile attempting to hide the nauseous feeling that begins to overwhelm me as Damian explains it all to Skylar.

"So let me get this straight." She says drumming her fingers on the table as she speaks. "We have a chance at getting a record deal, because Andy made a deal with your dad a few years ago and never told us?"

I just nod, preparing to speak, but Matt pipes up before I even say a word. "Skylar, don't beat her up over this. if I was in her place I would've done the same thing, I wouldn't have told anyone, so they wouldn't to get their hopes over nothing. Or even to make them feel pressured from when we started the band in the beginning." I give Matt a grateful smile, which he easily returns.

"Whatever, I'm just saying, it would've been nice to be informed a bit earlier." Skylar informs everyone, leaning back in he me chair. "But Matt has a point, I understand where you're coming from, Andy." I slouch in the chair, feeling nothing but relief knowing that my friends don't hate me for keeping this huge secret. They may not be happy with me about it, but at least they don't hate me for it.

We sit in silence for a few minutes before we start to talk about what may happen at the end of the summer. I was just about to say something when my phone starts ringing. I pull it out and see my mom's picture. I motion for the others to be quite as I answer the phone. "Hey, Mom. I'm sorry I forgot to let you know I would be back later than I planned."

"It's okay, but I...." She sighs, and I can tell from her tone that something is wrong. "Andy, I need you to come home soon, I need to talk to you about something."

"Oh, okay. I'll start heading home then, see you soon." I say before hanging up, I didn't even notice that my bandmates were staring at me. "I have to go. My mom called and said she needs me home now."

"What's wrong?" Luke questions, standing up the same time I do. I just shrug, I get a nod in reply before I rush out the door. I get into my car and driving home, biting my lip as I wonder what my mom was so worried over. The drive takes a lot mor time than I had expected. Stupid traffic. I pull into my parking spot, and speed walk my way up to our apartment.

I fumble with the keys in my hand, trying to unlock the apartment door but failing multiple times. I drop my keys after the fourth attempt to unlock the door, I pick them up off the ground, about to try and unlock the door once again to find it's already open. My mom stands there giving me a small smile, I look at her face and it's obvious from the tear streaks on her face she has been crying. "Mom, what's wrong?"

She just shakes her head and walks back into the apartment. I just follow her into the apartment, shutting the door behind me. "Andy, there's something I need to tell you about." she motions for me to sit with her on the couch with her as she takes a seat. "Andy," she begins to talk, but stops suddenly sighing as she rubs her temples. "I talked to your Dad today."

"What? Why?" I question leaning forward on the couch.

"I'll tell you, but only if you promise not to get upset." I nod, leaning back into the couch cushions. She pauses for a moment, before quietly speaking. "Andy, you're going to live with your father this summer."


	5. Chapter 5

My mother's words ring through my head for a moment, and she looks at me waiting for my reaction. I just lean back into the couch, a laugh escaping my lips. My mother looks at me with confusion as she asks, "What's so funny?"

I wipe my eyes, and compose myself enough to reply. "Nothing. I just thought for a second there you said I'm living with Dad this summer."

I watch her visibly wince as I speak, but quickly gaining her strength once again as she interjects, "That's because you are, well if you want to keep up your end of the deal that is."

"Wait, you're serious?" I stand up in disbelief and pace the floor as I talk. "Why? Oh, I'm sorry I forgot this is exactly the kind of thing he would do. And let me take a wild guess, that isn't all of it."

My mother hangs her head, shaking it sadly. "No, Andy, I'm sorry to say it's not. I know you two don't get along, but I wish you wouldn't talk about him like that, he is your father after all." She sighs as she continues, "You have to work for his company over summer." I grit my teeth and put on a fake smile in hopes of fooling her, but she knows me too well for any of that. I turn away from her, mumbling a feeble excuse to leave before heading up to my room, running up the stairs as fast as I possibly can.

Once the door is securely shut, I lean my back against it, and slide down it as I curl into a ball on my bedroom floor. Pain begins to flood through my head, e same way it always does from all the stress my father causes me. I reach into my pocket and pull out my headphones, plugging them in and falling into the only constant in my life: music. Through all my good and bad days, it's comforting to know that I'll always have music, whether it's been created by myself or someone else, it will always be my refuge.

I take a moment before I push myself up off the floor, and crawl into bed. I pull the covers over me and check the time out of curiosity. "It's only 4:30?!" I whisper to myself in disbelief. I don't feel like getting out of bed to do anything else, so I just nestle myself into my bed and drift off into a dreamless sleep.

//\\\//\\\//\\\//\\\//\\\//\\\//\\\//\\\

I groan, pulling the covers further over my head. "Why am I awake right now?" I ask myself. But for the safety of humanity, I better be able to fall back to sleep, or get a cup of coffee. I let out a sigh, I know that I won't be able to fall back asleep, so I decide to get up in search for coffee. The moment I actually do sit up I instantly regret it, my head starts pounding and if feels like Skylar used my head for a drum set or that someone unleashed an angry Thor in my skull. I know, my analogies are a bit strange, but they're effective.

I squint my eyes as a beam of light comes in through the shutters, and a corresponding wave of pain simultaneously goes through my head. I quickly climb out of bed to go shut the blinds. The room becomes darker, and I'm finally able to open my eyes without extreme amounts of pain. My stomach rumbles and I look at the clock which tells me why. It seems as though I slept through dinner last night and well I got the middle of the day. I give into the pleas of my grumbling stomach, and start to head downstairs.

I start walking down the stairs for a moment before it hits me, something isn't right. I can hear the sound of clanging pots and muffled voices. I furrow my eyebrows, my mom usually works on Sunday, and if she is that explains all the noise. I make it downstairs and walk into the kitchen to realize my deduction was right.

"Hey, sweetie." She greeted in that gentle voice she has for me every morning. It's one thing that has never changed, she knows I hate mornings so she tries to make them as nice as she can. "You want me to make you something to eat?" She asks, I'm hungry but I don't really feel like eating much at the moment, side effect of a migraine. I just shrug as I sit on of the stools, laying my head down on the cool countertop. "Let me guess, you have another migraine?" I just lift my head and nod, wincing as a sharp pain tears through my head. "Just hold on, I have exactly what you need." I sit on the bar stool, again resting my head on the countertop as I wait for her to come back. I am so glad she knows what to do about this, because I am at a loss for what to do at the moment.

She returns a small smile on her face as she gently sets some fruit, and medicine in front of me. "Here, this should help. But, you need to eat before you take anything." I return the smile and nod, reaching for the food she set in front of me. She gives me a gentle hug, sitting beside me as I eat. It is the small moments like this that you have to appreciate, she's always working so the fact that she is even here right now is enough.

"Shouldn't you be at work today? I means, I'm happy you're actually here, but you usually work most weekends." I ask as I finish my food.

"Yeah, I usually do, but I didn't really need to go to the office today. So I'm just going to finish up some work from home." She tells me indifferently, but I know from the variations in her tone and facial expressions, that she is happy to be home for once. It makes me feel a little upset that I have to not be feeling well on the one day that she is home. "Here, take your medicine. Once you do that you should probably get some more rest."

I sigh, I really don't want to go back to bed. I love being able to sleep all day, but if my mom is home I'd rather spend the time with her, she' always working so that she can provide me with a 'good education.' She must have noticed my hesitation, because she gives me a knowing look before she says, "Alright, I have a suggestion. How about we sit on the couch and just watch movies all day?" I can't help but smile and nod at the idea. "I'll make the popcorn, you grab the blankets and pick some movies."

I get up from the stool, and grab a bundle of blankets from the hall closet and start selecting various movies. I start getting comfortable on our huge couch, I sit waiting for the movie to start and my mom to come join me. I hear her call that the popcorn is almost done, and only a moment later she returns with two large bowls filled to the top with hot buttery popcorn. We spend the entire day like this, watching movies, eating popcorn, just spending time together. "Alright, kiddo. You have exams tomorrow so even though it's early you should probably study and go to sleep soon." I just sigh, knowing she's right. I have finals tomorrow, and I can't risk failing them just because I wasn't feeling well. I tell her goodnight before returning to my cave (aka my room.) I quickly grab some clothes from my closet before walking into my bathroom and preparing everything for a shower. Am I the only one that does their deepest thinking in the shower? I don't know what it is, but something about it is just relaxing and helps me think.

Vanilla shampoo and peppermint body wash are literally some of my favorite things I have ever used. The scents of vanilla and peppermint drift through the entire room, I can even smell it as I dry my hair and brush out the tangles. I get myself completely dry, and dressed before I wrap a towel around my slightly damp hair. I go through my usual routine, you know brushing my teeth, combing through my hair, washing my face, etc.

I walk back into my room, climb into my warm sheets and drift back off into another dreamless sleep.

\/\/\/\/

"So this is what you meant... When you said that you were spent..." I cut the song off, fully awake thanks to my awesome alarm. I really love that song. I sigh, knowing I have to actually get up and out of my bed, otherwise I'll be late to school. It takes me a minute before I compose myself rolling out of bed, and landing on the floor. Yeah, this a daily occurrence for me. I push myself off the ground before grabbing my school uniform, which consists of a white button up shirt, and a knee length black and teal plaid patterned skirt. I know, a beautiful uniform, courtesy of my wonderful school. The school may have a great education, the rest of it isn't that amazing. The uniforms aren't flattering to anyone, and the students might as well be mindless drones.

I put on my uniform, setting my leather jacket on my bed, before walking into my bathroom. I out on basic makeup: foundation, eyeliner, the basics. I'm not a huge fan of makeup, but my skin isn't perfect, so I pretty much use it to hide the blemishes, and eyeliner to make me dark brown eyes more dramatic. I run a brush through my extremely frizzy hair, I wait impatiently for my straightener to heat up, while I study my notes for my finals today.

It only takes about fifteen minutes to be completely ready. I head downstairs and check the clock, which reads 7:30. Good, I have about fifteen minutes before I have to leave or I'll be late. "Hey, Andy." My mother greets as she enters the kitchen, preparing her coffee. "I'll have to borrow your car today, mine's in the shop. I'll give you money for a taxi, but it looks like you'll have to leave now to make it on time."

I nod my head, I'm not a huge fan of taking a taxi, but I don't have another option. I give my mom a hug before she hands me some money for a taxi and a mug full of coffee. "I love you, sweetie. Good luck on your finals."

"Thanks, Mom. Have a good day at work!" I reply grabbing my backpack and rushing out the door all the way into the lobby. I wave a timid hello to our doorman as he opens the door with a cheerful smile on his face. I exit the building, reaching my hand out shouting for a taxi. I silently pray I can snatch one before I'll end up late. "C'mon! TAXI!!!" I shout once more, entirely prepared to walk to school. Just before I'm about to give up, a familiar car pulls up to the sidewalk.

"Your mom borrowing your car again?" Skylar asks as she rolls down the window. I just nod my head, and inform her of what the situation is. "Hop in, I'll give you a ride." I climb into the passenger seat of her car. "You know, you're really lucky I pass your building on my way to school."

"Thanks for stopping and giving me a ride, Skylar. I really appreciate it." I tell her, we sing along to the radio the rest of the way to the school.

"I'll drop you off here, I have to go park. I texted the boys, they'll meet us in homeroom." Skylar tells me, as she drops me off in front of the school. I tell her that's fine. I walk in the door, the traditional rush of school, only with the added stress of exams. I take a long sip of my coffee, trying to finish it before someone inevitably runs into me and spills it everywhere.

I finally reach my locker. I take out my exam notes before stuffing my backpack into my locker. "ANDY!!!!" My name echoes through the hallway, everyone just rolls their eyes as Damain and Matt run towards me from the far end of the hallway.

"Seriously? Don't you think this whole 'let's shout Andy's name through the hallways' is getting a bit old?" I ask joining them as we walk to our doom, books in hand.

"Nope, it will never get old." Matt says, even though Damian always does the shouting. I just roll my eyes, walking slightly faster through the crowd, soon enough entering the classroom we have exams in all week.

"Hey, Luke." I say finding my seat in the back, Damian, Matt, and soon enough Skylar all join us.

"Hey!" Luke says, quite loudly I might add. "You all ready for the chemistry final?" We all shake our heads, how are you supposed to handle a year's worth of learning in one test? The answer is: you don't, basically you try your best and guess the rest of the time. We continue on with the conversation as we study, that is until our overly optimistic science teacher informs us of the worst: exam time.

A stack of papers are set down on my desk, I grab my pencil and begin the mental torture. The entire week goes by in one huge blur, all I remember are confusing question, and late nights of coffee hazed studying. "This is it, the last exam." Matt says, sweeping his dark hair to the side. It's true, this is the only exam we have left, music. What this means is that we sit around until the teacher calls our name for the exam, which is essentially a solo acoustic performance.

"So how do you think you did overall?" Luke asks everyone in the group.

"I think I failed them all." Matt says indifferently. I can't help but roll my eyes, he probably aced them all without even studying.

"Matt?! Doesn't that bother you?!" Typical Skylar response, seeing as how she panics over her homework grades.

"Not really." Matt says with a shrug.

"I think I failed, too." Damian says, but this is how it always is. He'll think he failed and almost make himself sick over it, when really he probably got no lower than a 'B.'

"But we all know why that happened though." All of us except for Damian share a knowing look as Luke continues to speak. "Because he's just too gay to function." Long story short, Damian isn't gay, we just really love Mean Girls.

"Guys! I'm not gay! I have a girlfriend." He says with an annoyed sigh.

"Oh he's right. He does have Danny." Matt says, knowing exactly how this conversation will go based on frequent experience.

"Exactly. Danny, also known as Damian's 'partner'..." Skylar waits for Damian to start getting his little explanation stated before she finishes, "...in crime. Why what did you think I would say, Damian?"

We all start to laugh, even Damian joins us as he realizes he fell for it yet again. "Alexandria, exam time." I sigh, I love music class, but not the music teacher. It would be so much better if he didn't use everyone's full names and actually let us sing. I stand up, walking into the other room, locating the instruments I planned on using.

I take a deep breath, and take a seat at the piano bench. I decided to do an instrumental version of Civil Wars' Poison & Wine, it isn't exactly my style, but it was on the approved list and coincidentally the only one I knew I could do with confidence.

I begin the song, making slight improvisations where I feel they're needed. The entire songs sounds beautiful, and I could not have hoped for a better outcome. I smile as the last note is finished. "Well, that was... interesting." Our teacher tells us, "You're grade will be posted before the end of the day. You are free to leave now. Enjoy your summer." I inwardly sigh because I highly doubt that this summer will be enjoyable, and that's when it hits me. I leave in three days, I've barely packed, an I haven't even told my friends. I walk out the door, ringing my hand nervously as I take a seat won't my friend. Mr. McLeery calls my band mates one by one, and the rest of us wait until we're all done before we leave.

We all walk out the room, I don't pay attention to what is being said, that is until someone nudges me. "What about you? What are your summer plans? I'm heading to the Hamptons over summer. Which reminds me, my parents said you guys are welcome to come with us." Skylar says, a smile on her face at her summer prospects.

My stomach knots as I remember our band was supposed to play the benefit concert. "Sorry, Skylar. I can't come... Let's just say I had an unexpected change of plans, and now I'll be in LA working all summer..." I quietly say not removing my gaze from the floor.

Luke's face goes from confusion to realization once I said 'LA.' He apparently decided to voice his thoughts, because he spoke up saying, "Doesn't your dad live in LA?" I just timidly nod, "So you're working for him? As an unknown part of the deal I assume?"

"Pretty much... I also should tell you I leave Monday..." my words leave an almost awkward silence in the air.

"But you'll be back in time to play for the benefit, right?" Skylar asks with a worried look.

"I'm really sorry, Skye. But I can't, if I want to keep up my end of the deal I have to stay with him until the very end of summer. I really wish I could come, but you guys will have to play without me."

"It's alright. We will work it out, but there's no way we're playing without you, I think speak for everyone for that." Every one nods they're head in agreement. "And we can't blame you for not telling us, we all got so stressed out with exams, it's understandable why you didn't say something sooner." Matt tells me placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. I give him a small smile in return.

"Oh! Stop with all this gloominess! Let's celebrate the beginning of summer! I vote for pizza!" Damian says, trying to cheer everyone up. Well it works, for soon enough, we all end up laughing in a small pizza parlor. I know one thing for sure, no matter what happens at the end of the summer, I'll always have these goofs as my best friends.


	6. Chapter 6

I wake up with a feeling of impending doom. "Finals Day." I say to myself as I get out of bed and go through my usual routine with a pile of review sheets in hand. I go through the morning in a blur my head filled up with so many dates, terms, and various notes being crammed into my memory.

After the last exam, we all walk out the room, I don't pay attention to what is being said, that is until someone nudges me. "What about you? What are your summer plans? I'm heading to the Hamptons over summer. Which reminds me, my parents said you guys are welcome to come with us." Skylar says, a smile on her face at her summer prospects.

My stomach knots as I remember our band was supposed to play the benefit concert. "Sorry, Skylar. I can't come... Let's just say I had an unexpected change of plans, and now I'll be in LA working all summer..." I quietly say not removing my gaze from the floor.

Luke's face goes from confusion to realization once I said 'LA.' He apparently decided to voice his thoughts, because he spoke up saying, "Doesn't your dad live in LA?" I just timidly nod, "So you're working for him? As an unknown part of the deal I assume?"

"Pretty much... I also should tell you I leave Monday..." my words leave an almost awkward silence in the air.

"But you'll be back in time to play for the benefit, right?" Skylar asks with a worried look.

"I'm really sorry, Skye. But I can't, if I want to keep up my end of the deal I have to stay with him until the very end of summer. I really wish I could come, but you guys will have to play without me."

"It's alright. We will work it out, but there's no way we're playing without you, I think speak for everyone for that." Every one nods they're head in agreement. "And we can't blame you for not telling us, we all got so stressed out with exams, it's understandable why you didn't say something sooner." Matt tells me placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. I give him a small smile in return.

"Oh! Stop with all this gloominess! Let's celebrate the beginning of summer! I vote for pizza!" Damian says, trying to cheer everyone up. Well it works, for soon enough, we all end up laughing in a small pizza parlor. I know one thing for sure, no matter what happens at the end of the summer, I'll always have these goofs as my best friends.

//\\\//\\\//\\\//\\\//\\\//\\\

I lay in bed, fully dressed, but refusing to move and admit the fact that I actually have to start packing. Well, refusing to admit that any of this is happening, really.

"Andy, are you getting any packing done?" I can hear my mom yell from downstairs.

I freeze, looking at my empty luggage, and yelling back. "Um... Yeah, I'm getting a ton of packing done."

"I suggest you get started, you have to leave tomorrow afternoon, and you can't go leave with no luggage packed."

I sigh, getting up, walking to my closet, grabbing random bits of clothing, and dumping them into my suitcase. Luckily, I'm not much of a fashionista, I live for my band tees and jeans, which means everything is pretty interchangeable, but I make sure to grab some 'nicer clothes' for work, just in case I need them. I walk over to my suitcase, and start to sort and organize all my stuff.

I pause for a second, feeling like something is missing. Then it dawns on me, I forgot to put on music. I grab my phone of my bed and shuffle my music. I start to nod along to the beat of the music, getting everything done at a much faster pace now that I have something to distract me from the silence. Music and I make such a good pair, it gets rid of the silence, and I become a lot more productive. I grab a few more things that I'll be needing, making a mental checklist to be sure I didn't forget anything, before I zip up my bags and lean them against the wall.

I take a look around my room, not much has changed, but everything feels different. It feels like the room is emptier, I just shake my head trying to brush it off as I turn off my music and head downstairs. "Mom, I finished packing!" I yell as I make my way to the kitchen.

"Really? So if I go into your room all your bags will be packed?" She asks coming in from the living room, and looking at me with a raised eyebrow and a questioning smirk.

"Yes, in fact, you would. I packed everything I will need and stuff that I might not, but I'm bringing just in case." I reply with a touch of sass.

My mom just looks at me before smiling, shaking her head, and changing topics. "So now that you're all ready to go, what do you want to do on your last day of freedom?" I love my mom, especially because she agrees that this summer will be anything but fun and I will have no choice in how to spend my time.

"Um... How about just watch movies and the stuff we normally do?" I suggest knowing that I won't get to see her for the remainder of the summer.

"Sounds good to me, how about you go pick a movie, I'll grab the blankets and stuff?"

I nod, walking into the living room, and browsing through our movie collection. "How about we watch..." I start to say, but get interrupted by the doorbell ringing. "I'll get it!" I yell as I go to open the door.

"Andy!" Skylar yells when she sees me.

I smile shaking my head, as I let her in. "Hey, Skylar." I close the door and follow her into the kitchen, where my mother greets her with a smile and a 'hello.' "So, may I ask what brings you here?" I question Skylar.

"I actually have two reasons for being here... The first is, obviously, I wanted to see my best friend before she left to spend the whole summer on the other side of the country." Skylar tells me as she throws her arm over my shoulder and giving me a smile.

"And the second?"

"Well... Band mom, would you like to tell her?" Skylar asks my mom, as I look between the two with confusion.

"Andy, what's one thing you keep asking to do, but I always said that 'you have to wait until you finish school'?" She asks me with a sly smile on her face.

I look at her still confused for a moment as I think back. Until I think of it, although, I'm still unsure if that's what she means. "Dye my hair?" I ask tentatively, to which she replies with a widened smile and a nod. "No way." I smile in complete shock. "Are you serious?!"

"Yes, I'm very serious. That's the second reason Skylar is here, she brought a bunch of colors and is going to do it for you."

"You are going to look so good, even those Cali girls will be jealous. Especially because I brought some new makeup for you and am going to teach you a few new techniques. Trust me, Andy, you're going to look absolutely flawless."

"Thank you, Sky. You're the best friend anyone could hope for." I tell her enveloping her in a tight hug before I turn to my mom and pull her into an even bigger hug. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." I whisper to her as she laughs and tells me I'm welcome.

"So, are you ready to get started?" Skylar asks after a moment.

"Um. YES." I almost shout at her, and we both laugh at my excitement.

"Well first you have to pick a color, I have a couple colors from my stash, but if you want something other than that we can go our and get the one you want."

"Alright, I was thinking about dying it blue." I tell her, hoping that she has that one in her bag so I don't have to make her go to the store.

She smiles at me, nodding her head as she reaches into her bag, and I can't help but broaden my smile. "You're in luck, Leya wanted blue hair a few years ago, but never actually did it. She decided it would clash with her complexion." Skylar says rolling her eyes at her cousin's eccentric behavior. "But that's good for us, because now you get to pick from the many shades she considered."

"I never thought I would say this in my entire life, but thank you, Leya!"

"Thank you, Leya." Skylar agrees, before realizing what she said and saying, "Don't ever tell her I said that." She pauses. "Anyways, I have a royal blue (which I think would look great on you),  pastel blue, teal, and this gorgeous blue with a hint of purple."

"Could you do multiple shades?" I ask.

"Yeah, if you wanted highlights, or we could kind ombre it with a few different colors." She replies. "What are you thinking of?"

"I'm thinking the royal blue with the pastel blue at the tips in a sort of ombre. What do you think?"

"That would look awesome." 

"I think that would look amazing on you, Andy." My mom says  walking back into the kitchen with a chair and a bundle of items in her arms. "Skylar, I brought a chair, some towels, and a plastic tablecloth to put on the floor so if the dye spills it won't stain."

"Thank you, that should be everything we need. Except, Andy, you should probably change into a shirt that you don't mind getting the blue dye on."

I look down at my shirt and say, "I don't mind if any gets on this one, I only wear it around the house and for sleeping anyways."

"Than let's get started!" Skylar says, and that's exactly what we do. 

I end up spending the next few hours sitting in the kitchen with Skylar bleaching the tips of my light brown hair, washing it, dying it, and talking with Skylar and mom about anything and everything. 

"Oh, Andy, it's looking so good!" My mom says smiling excitedly at me. I tap my foot anxiously and make a pouting face at her. Ever since Skylar sat me down and started working, I haven't been allowed to go near a mirror or even have my phone for fear that I would see my reflexion and ruin the surprise. 

"It really is, and the dye just needs to set for a few more minutes then we'll be able to wash and blow dry it."

"Yay!  I can't wait to see it!" I say smiling, and Skylar just gives me a look.

"What do you mean? You still have to have your makeup done before you get to see it." Skylar tells me with a devilish grin.

"But... C'mon, Sky, are you seriously going to me wait even longer?"

"Yes, yes I am. Now, get up, it's time to wash it out." I stand up, doing as I'm told and leaning over the sink as she rinses and cleans my hair. 

30 minutes later and Skylar informs me she's almost finished. I have no idea what to be expected, all I know for sure is that my hair is styled, and my makeup is what Skylar keeps calling an 'adorable punk' look. "How much longer, Skye?" I ask, sounding like a whining child. 

"You'll be done in a second if you quite squirming." Skylar tells me lifting my chin back up as she brushes the last bit of makeup on my face. "There. You're finished." She says with a proud smile and hands me a mirror. 

I take the mirror and smile in awe. The blue in my hair looks even better than I had expected, the shades flawless blending into one another. As for the makeup, Skylar definitely did phenomenally, and now I understand what she meant as adorable punk. The makeup has a punk look but not daunting. "So, what do you think?" Skylar asks. 

"I love it. Thank you, Skye." I tell her with a hug. "And thank you too, Mom, for letting Skylar do all of this."

"Of course, darling." My mom says pulling me into a hug. "But you have to do me a favor."

I pull out of the hug with a puzzled look on my face. "What?"

"You have to tell me how your dad reacts to the blue hair." She says with a smirk, and we both end up laughing. "But also, make sure he doesn't push you around too much. I know this summer is going to be tough, but I want you to promise me you won't let him get you down. Deal or no deal, I want to have the same Andy I've always known back."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll make sure." I respond, my voice just above a whisper.

"Good. Now, c'mon, you two. Let's go eat a bunch of junk food and have a movie marathon." She says with a smile. 

"Yes!" Skylar and I say simultaneously fist bumping. We spent the rest of the night like that, sitting on the couch, eating junk food, and watching random chick-flicks, and I can honestly say, there's no other way that I would want to spend my last night before leaving.


	7. Chapter 7

"AAANNDDYYY!" Someone shouts right next to my ear, drawing every syllable out, and unfortunately for them, my reflexes kicked in. My fist swings out, and I hear them yell in surprise. "Why do I  _always_  forget that she has the worst reflex. Well, more like the most painful reflex."

"Hey, at least you remembered to doge it this time." Another voice chips in with a sarcastic cheer. "And did you ever think to try waking her up  _without_  yelling in her ear?" 

The first voice returns with, "Yeah, but it's not as much fun that way. Fine." There's a pause, and I can feel someone gently shake my shoulder. "Andy, wake up."

I groan in reply and pull the covers farther up over my head. "No. You are not going to just lay there and ignore me." The first voice says sounding upset. "You better get up or I'm calling Skylar to do it."

I sigh, sitting up and glaring at Luke. "There's no need for drastic measures. I'm up."

"Good. I knew that would work." Luke said gloating to Danny, who rolls her eyes at his childishness. 

"Um... Band Mom, I think Andy's sick! Her hair has turned blue!" Luke yells as he stares at my hair. 

"Yeah, what happened to you?" Damian asks also staring at my hair.

"I dyed it last night. That's why Skylar was here." I tell them laughing at their worry. "What do you guys think?"

"I like it." Matt tells me giving me a high-five. 

"I think it looks great, it really compliments your skin tone." Danny says, sitting beside me. I thank her and smile at the brunette. A compliment from her means a lot, I've seen girls who would do almost anything to get a compliment from her, which is probably because of her model status. I'm serious, she works as a model in her free time. 

Skylar walks into the room and starts pulling me off of the couch saying, "C'mon. We only have a couple hours before your flight leaves, so you have to go get dressed, we're going out for coffee before you go." 

"Do I have to go?" I ask with a pout and forcing her to almost drag me along.

"Yes, you have to go get dressed, otherwise you'll miss your flight, and I won't have you pouting all day." Skylar says as she tries pulling me up the stairs. 

"Can't I just miss my flight?" I ask, giving in and walking up the stairs.

"No, you can't if you do than your dad might pull a loophole saying 'you didn't arrive on time.'" Danny says and I almost jump because I didn't realize she was behind me. 

"Good point. I'll go get dressed and meet you guys back downstairs." I tell them as I head towards my room, grab the clothes I left out for today, my makeup bag, and quickly get ready. To my surprise, it only takes me about 20 minutes to get ready, makeup and all. I walk out of my bathroom doorway and  downstairs. I walk over to Skylar and ask, "Did I do the makeup right? Because it seemed way to easy to be right."

"Wow. Actually, yeah you did it right, and it looks great." Skylar says analyzing my makeup. "And don't forget this." She says handing me one of her ear cuffs. "Perfect. Now, LA better get ready because they've got one gorgeous punk singer heading there way."

I roll my eyes, "I just wish you guys could come with me."

"We do too." Luke says giving me a reassuring smile. We all stand there for a moment in silence, each of us wanting to say something, but not sure how to word it. Our silence is interrupted by my mother when she walks in and asks, "Weren't you guys planning on going out for coffee?" 

"I guess, if it's alright with you." I respond.

"It's fine with me, and we'll take you to the airport after that. The rest of you can come to say goodbye if you want." She offers, to which everyone nods. "All we need to do is put your bags in the car, and we'll be on our way."

"Guys, would you to go get them? There inside the room, right by my door." 

"Fine, but only because you're our friend." Damian says, bring the other guys with him.

"Thank you." I call after them, as I walk with Skylar and Danny out to the car.

20 minutes later we're all sitting around the table at the coffee shop, talking about anything and everything. "Do you guys remember how we first became a band?" I ask them with a smile. 

"Ooh! I never heard this story! How did it happen?" Danny asks, leaning in and listening intently.

"Well, it all started with a guitar pick..." I say, looking around the table and smiling as I remember the story, and just as I'm about to continue the story, someone from behind the counter calls my name. "You guys tell her the story, I'll be back in a second." I get up from my seat and head to the counter to pick up my drink. "Thank you." I tell the worker with a smile as I grab my drink and walk back to the table, where my friends are animatedly telling the story of how we became a band.

"So I'm sitting in the back of the class watching the two of them go at." Damian says trying to hold back his laughter.

"Oh. This is my favorite part." I say taking my seat and continuing the story. "Luke eventually had to intervene. I don't even remember how he did it, but somehow he managed to convince Skylar and I to stop yelling, and that we would have to work out a compromise of some sort."

"After that we mashed the two together, and found out we really worked well together, when we weren't arguing that is. We ended up with failing, but made an awesome band." Skylar finishes.

"That is the coolest story ever. Why haven't you guys ever told me that one before?" Danny questions with mock anger. 

"I guess we just forget people haven't heard it yet." Damian says with a shrug. 

"Sorry, to interrupt the fun, but we have to leave for the airport now." My mom says with a sympathetic look. "You guys can come with and say goodbye if you want."

"Yeah, we'll come. We couldn't let Andy leave without a proper goodbye, now could we?" Luke says as we all stand up and he slings his arm around my shoulder.

I roll my eyes at him, and tell them. "I'll drive with my mom, and I guess you guys can follow in the van?"

"Sounds good. Meet you at the airport!" Matt says, and with that we each head out to our cars. 

I climb in the passenger seat next to my mom, and it really hits me that I won't see her for the rest of the summer. She catches me looking at her, and says, "Uh oh. I know that look. What's upsetting you?"

"Nothing. I'm just going to miss you." I reply and turn to look out the window to hide that my eyes are tearing up. "I'm sorry we didn't spend much time together before I had to leave."

"You don't have to apologize for that, Andy. I'm glad you spent time with your friends before you left, I know how much they mean to you. You and I spent plenty of time together, even before you knew you had to go." She tells me with her encouraging tone, but I can tell she's trying to cover up her worry. 

"I know." I pause for a moment, turning back to her as I think over my words carefully. "Mom, I know I already made a promise to you, but I need you to make one to me." I wait to make sure she's listening before I continue. "I want to you to promise you won't worry about me too much. I'm going to be fine, I learned a long time ago to keep a thick skin, especially when it comes to dad. So promise me you won't worry to much, I know I can't keep you from worrying, but I just want you to promise."

She sighs, and for a moment she looks like she has the weight of the world on her shoulders. "Alright, I promise. I just wish that you didn't have to learn the hard way to not let things get to you. But I know you're stronger than you think. Now, let's see if we can't cheer up before you have to go." So that's just what we do, we turn on the radio and sing along at the top of our lungs and laugh until we can't breathe. And before I know it, we're pulling up to the airport, and the euphoria of the past few moments quickly fades. I sit there for a moment, not wanting to get out of the car and say goodbye to my home, family, and friends for the next few months. But I have to go, I tell myself as I unbuckle my seatbelt and get out of the car. 

I step out onto the curb and see the guys unloading my luggage, and the rest of them waiting in line to say goodbye.  Once all the luggage is unloaded I say goodbye to each of them in turn. First I walk up to Skylar, I can tell she's trying not to get emotional. I hug her and say, "Don't worry, Skye. I'll be back before you know it." I pull back from the hug, she just looks me in the eye and nods. Knowing Skylar, she'll be all tough right now, but once I leave she'll start getting emotional.

Next is Matt, who just stands still for a moment with his hands in his pockets before he says, "Nice ear cuff." Typical Matt, getting distracted from the subject at hand. "I'll see you soon, Andy. Send me some pics of LA when you get there."

"It's a deal. I'll send you a ton of pictures, so you can see what LA's like." Matt nods in reply and I continue on. "Luke, keep everyone on track for me. I don't want to come back to no band, it'd be like coming home to no family."

Luke just nods his head biting his bottom lip. Although he's trying to hide it I know he's getting emotional, before I can say or do anything else he pulls me into a tight hug and whispers to me, "I'm going to miss you. Do me a favor, and don't let your Dad get into your head, alright?" I give him a nod and promise him I won't.

The next goodbye comes in a pair, both Danny and Damian stand side by side with smiles on their faces. Danny doesn't say anything, instead she lets Damian talk. "Well, I have to say you're in for an adventure. I wish we could come, but just remember we're all only a phone call away. We'll miss you, weirdo." When he finishes I get crushed in a hug by everyone, Danny included.

"I'll miss you too. I love you awesome nerds." I say laughing as much as possible when you're getting completely crushed by five people. "I'll be back before you know it, and I promise I'll send you photos, call and text as much as I can."

"Guys, we have to let go. It's time for her to leave." Danny says, which causes everyone to release me from the hug. I turn around and say the last and hardest goodbye, my mom. I walk up to her and wrap her in a tight hug, neither of us saying anything since we've already said everything. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too." She whispers back. She backs out of the hug and wiping her eyes saying, "Here's your ticket, and I already got your bags checked. You'll have to go or you'll miss your flight."

"Thank you." I tell her, taking my ticket, and giving her one last hug. "I'll see you at the end of summer." I say, turning back for one last wave and walk inside the airport.

Through the next hour, I keep thinking about that moment, the look on their faces. I remember everything I can about that moment, because I know that will be the last time I get to see them for the next few months. Even on the flight, I look out the window and I can't help but miss them.  _C'mon, Andy, keep you're head level. You have a few hours to prepare yourself for what's to come, don't waste them._ I think to myself, plugging my headphones and doing my best to prepare for what's to come. 

At some point I ended up dozing off, but that changed when we hit the turbulence. Yeah, I said turbulence, and seeing how this is one of the few times that I've ever flown it's not exactly comforting. So I spend most of my flight holding onto the armrests of my seat, eyes closed tight, and hoping that the flight will end soon. "Is there anything I can get you, Miss?" The flight attendant politely asks me.

"No, thank you, but may I ask how much longer will it be until we land?" I reply, cringing even further with ever bump of the plane. 

"We're scheduled to land at LAX in about 45 minutes." She tells me with a sympathetic smile and continues on her way. I sink into further into my seat, and turn my music up a little bit louder and doing everything I can to distract myself for the remainder of the flight.

Time passes quickly and I almost cheer aloud when the pilot announces we'll be landing. Once we touch down I grab my bags, make my way out, and since I'm completely unsure of were I'm supposed to be going just follow the crowd towards the baggage claim. I power up my phone and watch the bags come around the carousel looking for my bright blue cases. 

 _Nope. Nope. Definitely not mine. There it is._  I grab the first of my bags off the carousel, setting it on the ground beside me as I wait for my only other bag. Luckily I was smart enough to use my duffel bag as my carry-on so I had less luggage to worry about. After a few minutes it finally makes it way through.  _Now I just have to head to oversize baggage claim to get my guitar,_  I tell myself. As I grab my guitar, I keep a constant eye out for any sign of my brother or one of my dad's many drivers, holding up a sign with my name on it, but I don't bother holding my breath expecting him to actually show up, right now I'm just looking for anything that would help me find out how I'm supposed to do or go. I pull out my phone, scrolling through my contacts and hoping he didn't change his number again. I press the call button, it rings a few times and just as I'm about to give up hope when his familiar voice comes over the line.

I breathe a sigh of relief. "Hey, Mason."

"Andy!" Mason practically shouts, "Where are you. I was just about to double check that your flight got in, because I can't seem to find you anywhere."

"Well where are you? I'll come find you." I tell him, as I keep looking around.

"Baggage claim. I figured you'd be over here, but I haven't seen you." He tells me. I wrinkle my nose in confusion, I'm still in the baggage claim area, how could he have missed me? I search through the crowd looking for Mason keeping in remembrance his appearance from when we last talked.

I finally spot him searching desperately like a lost child. "Found you." I say into my phone as I pick up my bags and walk in his direction.

"Wait where are you?" I watch as he turns all the way around, still looking for me.

"You're 3 o'clock." I tell him chuckling as I speak. He turns around in the opposite direction of me, and I can't help but laugh even louder. "You're  _other_  3 o'clock." 

He finally catches sight of me, and his entire face lights up. He runs over to me screaming my name and crushing me in a tight hug. "Oh, Andy. It's been too long! I didn't recognize you with the new hair. It looks good... C'mon, lets get you home and you can tell me everything I've missed." I just nod returning the hug and letting him carry everything but my duffel bag and guitar.

We leave the airport and start heading towards the parking lot. "So tell me, how has everything been since we last saw each other in person? Oh, that's my car right over there." We continue our conversation during the rest of the drive and within seconds all the lost time between us dissolves.

After what seems like no time, we pull up in front of a huge mansion. "Andy, welcome home." He says climbing out of the car and grabbing my bags and even my guitar. "C'mon, you're gonna love the house. We even have a recording studio inside." He says the last part like its a secret.

I just smile at him. Mason hasn't changed at all, I guess it's true some people never do grow up. We walk up the front steps and into the house, within a moment I know for sure this is my Dad's house, because he goes for nothing less than extravagant.

"Mason, you're back. We have some business to discuss." Speaking of the devil, here he comes, the only person I have ever hated: my father. "Oh, I forgot you were going to the airport." He turns to me and actually acknowledges my existence. "Hello, Alexandria."

"Hello, Dad" I pause for a moment choosing my next words with extreme care. "Or should I just call you 'John' since you never really liked playing the role of my dad?


	8. Chapter 8

Silence hangs in the air and Mason keeps nervously glancing between the two of us. My father's expression remains perfectly calm and he ignores my comment by saying. "Mason, why don't you show your sister to her room and help her get settled in?"

"Sure thing." Mason says tugging me up the staircase, and once we're out of earshot, harshly whispers at me, "Are you serious? What was all that about?"

"Well, I honestly didn't know whether he would rather I call him 'John' or 'Dad,' so I thought it would ask. Although,  I don't think I'll be finding out anytime soon." I reply with a casual shrug.

Mason just gives me a punishing glare and drops his shoulders, not facing me as he speaks. "I wish you two would stop this fighting. All it would take is one of you to stop, and the other would follow."

I sigh, almost holding in a laugh. "Yeah, I'm sure he would stop the cycle he started when we were kids just because I decided to stop fighting back."

Mason gives me a long look, and I know he's about to say something I won't want to hear. I try to walk away from him, but he grabs my arm to stop me as he says, "Have you ever thought that maybe the reason you fight so much is because you two are too stubborn to admit you're so alike."

I glare at him gritting my teeth as I speak, "No. I am  _nothing_  like him. I would never even wish what he did to us to happen to my worst enemy." Mason goes to say something but I ignore him as I keep talking. "The only thing we have in common is that we're both stubborn. I'm to stubborn to forget what happened, everything he did and said. Whereas, he's too stubborn to own up to his own actions, and to even give me a chance without having a million loopholes attached."

Mason looks at me for a moment, pity and understanding painted all over his face as if he finally understands a piece of what I've felt all this time. "Andy, I-- I don't know what to say." He pauses for a moment, looking at his shoes. "I always tried to understand how you felt, but I guess I've gotten to see the better side of him. I didn't realize I had forgotten how we all felt when it first happened.  _I'm sorry._ " He whispers the last part, giving me a tight hug, which I return, trying not to cry at the idea that he just now understands.

We break apart, and awkwardly move on to the rest of the house. Eventually we make it back to normal, as Mason excitedly runs around showing me a bunch of different things. "--and over here is your room!" He shouts as he drags me into a pale cream room, decorated with shades of pastel pink and grey. Mason and I start laughing simultaneously. "You should have seen your face!" He says, which makes me laugh even harder.

Once I recover from laughing, I ask, "So where am I actually staying?" Mason just motions to the room. "Seriously? I mean it's not ugly or anything it's just-- _pink._ I'm not really a pink kind of person if you can't tell." I say motioning to my band shirt, jeans, and hair.

"I know, but this is where Sta--I mean--Dad wanted you to stay." He says, his face flushing at the stumble.

"Wait who?" I ask, he brushes it off like he didn't know what I was talking about. "Mason, don't play dumb with me. You know I can see right through it."

"Fine." He says giving in. "Stacy, one of dad's co-workers, suggested that he have you stay in here since it's got the nicest view and has a feminine decor." I watch him closely and realize there's something he's not telling me, but I ignore it as we continue.

"Well, I know of one thing you're sure to like." Mason tells me as he leads me upstairs, insisting that I cover my eyes. "Promise you're not looking?" He asks as he pushes me forward.

"Yes, Mason. I promise." I tell him with a sigh. "How much longer do I have to keep my eyes covered?"

"Only a moment longer." He replies, pausing before saying, "Okay, you can look now." I take my hands off my eyes. My jaw drops as I look around. "I told you so." Mason says with a smug look on his face. 

"What? Why?" I babble, barely able to form the words as I look at the recording studio around me. "Why do you guys have this here?" I ask, in complete disbelief admiring it all.

"Dad had it installed when we first moved in. We occasionally have some of his high profile clients come to visit and he figured it would be just as easy for them to record their music in here." He says, leaning on the door frame, chuckling at me as I go around the room. "There's also a dance studio up here. This whole floor is pretty much stuff like this."

"This is insane." I tell him. "I mean it's great, but insane at the same time to have all of this in your house."

Mason just casually shrugs, I guess for him this kind of stuff is completely normal. "Do you want to try it?" He asks with a hopeful smile.

"I don't know, Mason. I normally don't sing without my friends, and I don't even have my guitar." I tell him, feeling self-conscious about singing in front of him for some reason.

"I can't do anything about your friends, but go in there and I'll be back in a second." He tells me running out of the room like Flash. I do as he said and take the seat in the recording booth. Mason comes back a moment later with my guitar in hand and a triumphant smile on his face. "Here you go." He says, handing it to me, and sitting himself in front of the equipment as he gets it ready. "So what do you want to sing?"

"What do you want to hear?" I ask him.

"Um--Do something different from what you're used to, like Sam Smith."

"I guess I can do that, Damian taught me how to play Stay With Me one time." I tell him, putting on the headphones, and getting my guitar ready. "Ready?" I ask him, and once he nods I start playing the opening chords and sing. " _I guess it's true I'm no good at a one night stand, but I still need love 'cause I'm just a man..._ " I put my everything into the song, smiling to myself when I hit the high notes just right. I finish the song, and look up to see Mason slack jawed as he puts his phone down and starts clapping.

I take the headphones off and meet him outside. "So? What did you think?"

"That you sound absolutely amazing in person, I mean you sound great on video, but in person you can hear so much more of your voice. You have an awesome range by the way."

"Thanks." I say, awkwardly hugging him and trying to change the topic. I don't know what it is, but singing around Mason makes me nervous, I guess it's because he works with the really big timers and I'm only his sister. I never really know if he means it or is exaggerating to make me feel better.

Mason spends the rest of the day showing me around the garden, the pool, and even the basement full of retro video games and a movie room. "Wow. How did you ever manage to live in such harsh conditions?" I ask Mason sarcastically. He just rolls his eyes at me, making a sarcastic comment in reply. I end up turning in early after dinner that night, taking care of my migraine and crashing from the jet-lag. I rest my head and instantly fall asleep, my last thought of how much I'm dreading the next morning.


	9. Chapter 9

I sip my coffee as I stare myself down in the mirror, completely dreading the day to come. _"Why did I agree to this?"_  I ask myself, but already knowing the answer: because I want to prove him wrong, I want to make my dream a reality. I put the finishing touches on my makeup, just like Skylar showed me, and adjusting a couple of my bright blue curls before deciding that I'm completely ready. "Alex, hurry up. I don't want you making Mason late today." I hear my dad shouts from the bottom of the stairs as I walk out of my room, and I force myself to not go back and sit in there for a little while longer just to spite him. 

Instead, I get to the bottom of the stairs, giving him a polite smile as I reply, "I'm ready. I was just making sure I had all my things together." I put my phone in my large purse, as I walk away from him and meet Mason in the car. I laugh to myself when I see the expression on my dad's face when he notices my velvet choker and punk band shirt. Mason climbs in the car and give me a scolding look. "What? I can't help it that he doesn't appreciate my style." He says nothing, just raises his eyebrows at me. "Fine. I knew he wouldn't like it, but it makes the outfit more me. I don't want to feel like another stiff in that place."

"That I can understand, but you don't have to antagonize him." He tells me as we pull out of the driveway. "Just so you know, he's probably going to put you into the more boring and difficult jobs today."

"I was already anticipating that." I tell him, sliding down in my seat. "Why he can't just stick me in a studio. It's not like I don't know what I'd be doing in there."

"I wouldn't want that if I were you." He tells me with a tone of warning. "If he does, he'll probably try making you work with Montgomery. If this gives you any idea of how harsh he is, we can't put anybody with him. He's made even the toughest people request a transfer by the end of the day."

"I'm sure he's not that bad. He hasn't met me yet, I don't back down easily and I've learned how to deal with difficult people." I reply, and Mason doesn't reply just turns the radio up and another pop song blares through the speakers. Within a few minutes we pull into the parking lot of the building and my nerves instantly skyrocket. "You ready?" Mason asks as he pulls into his parking space.

I bite my lip as I nod. Mason walks inside and I follow him trusting he knows where he's going. I'm in a complete daze as we walk along. Mason stops in front of the reception desk talking to the secretary for a moment before we continue on our way. I finally gather my courage to ask Mason a question as we get onto the elevator. "So... what am I doing today?"

Mason doesn't respond for a second as he stares at the papers in his hand. He finally snaps out of his daze and says, "Oh, it looks like you'll be working in the file room."

"Oh." I can't help but feel slightly disappointed. I mean I wasn't expecting something glamorous but not filing, especially since I have terrible organization skills. "That's not too bad."

"Yeah, it could definitely be worse, but if it makes you feel any better I'll come by and visit." Mason says with fake cheer. I smile in return, but notice that once our conversation ends his face gets that troubled look again.

"Seventh floor." the elevator voice dictates.

"This is your floor." Mason says as he walks out and motions for me to follow. We walk down a hallway and make a few turns before we stop. "This is it. Just go inside and let them know your name and they should take it from there."

I nod and head inside the room. "And who are you?" A scratchy male voice asks. I turn toward the sound of the voice and find a man who looks to be in his forties.

"I'm Andy Parker, I'm supposed to start working here today."

The man just glares at me for a moment before taking a clipboard off one of the filing cabinets and looking it over. "Sorry, there's not an 'Andy Parker' supposed to be working here today."

I hold in my sigh as I ask. "Is there an Alexandria on the list?" The man looks at me questioningly. "That's what Andy is short for."

He looks over the list one more time. "As a matter of fact, yes there is an Alexandria on the list, but it has the last name down as 'Malloy'." I nod, and let him know that is indeed me. He sets down is clipboard and addresses me once again. "Welcome to work Miss Malloy. I'll be your supervisor, you may address me as Mr. Price." I cringe when I hear him call me, Malloy, since I haven't used that name for such a long time.

"Yes, sir. May I ask what I'll be doing today?" I'm doing my best to remain polite as I follow the cranky, balding Me. Price to my work task.

"You'll be filing all these and whatever else comes in." He stops in front or rows of cabinets as he hands me a stack of boxes I have to file.

I nod as I listen to Mr. Price's quick explanation of my task. I begin working on filing the boxes' contents. It only takes me a few minutes to find out that their system of filing makes no sense.

I've been working for a few hours now and Mr. Price has only just now come to check up on me. "So Miss Malloy, how have you been..." Thats about the time he saw what I had done. "What is this mess?!"

"I've been filing just like you told me too." I tell him, which is the truth. I have been filing like I was told to as to whether or not it was getting done properly is another question entirely.

"Would you please tell me why the file for 'Katy Perry' is in the 'X' drawer?"

I shrink down in my spot. I hadn't even realized that's where it was filed, I decide to go with my best option: humor my way out of it. "X marks the spot?"

Nope. I'm not getting a laugh from this guy. "Miss Malloy, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to have to see if you can't be sent to another department. Filing doesn't seem to be your specialty." With that I was fired for the first time, well from a department at least.

I was told to wait outside until someone came and lead me to my next assignment. I only stand outside the room for a few minutes before a familiar face comes around the corner, papers in hand. "Hi, Mason. Long time no see." I say shyly to my brother. I look at his face and he looks as if he is doesn't know whether to scold me or laugh.

"How in the world did you manage to get reassigned?" He asks chuckling as he speaks.

"The system is color coded. Not just by general colors, but also by shades, symbols  _and_  the alphabet." I tell him, sighing before I continue. "There's a reason I wear mostly black and grey, it's because I'm terrible with colors!"

Mason can't seem to contain his laughter anymore as he drops the subject and leads me towards my next job. "C'mon, your next job awaits."

I follow along as I ask. "And what will I be doing this time?"

"Your getting to be a secretary." We walk into the elevator and continue on our way. "And just so you know I totally agree. Our filing system is messed up, I'm pretty sure the only one who understands it is Mr. Price."

I can't help but smile knowing my brother is on my side. "Thirteenth floor." The elevator dictates once more. Mason and I both walk off the elevator, with me again following Mason along. He walks right up to the line of offices, stopping in front of a desk to speak to the secretary. "Hi, Kelly. How are you this fine morning?"

I look at the secretary, she's young no more than twenty. She smiles radiantly as she greets Mason. "Hello, Mason. I'm doing very well this morning. How about you?"

"I'm very well. the reason I'm up over here today is that I've got someone you ought to meet." He brings me forward and I give Kelly a slight wave. "This is Andy, and she'll be working with you for a while."

"Well it's lovely to meet you, Andy. I'm excited to have another girl my age up here, most of the secretaries on this floor are a bit older and frankly quite grumpy."

I smile and for a second I think I may actually like working this area. Mason says his goodbyes and Kelly shows me the ropes of being a secretary. "For you it'll basically be answering phones and getting coffee, anything more than that I'll help handle."

About thirty minutes into the job and I'm not completely hating or even royally messing everything up. The phone rings beside me and Kelly says, "Why don't you get that one real quickly, I have to go take care of something."

I just nod as I delicately pick up the phone and 'cheerfully' say, "Hello, you've reached Mr. Hartnell's office at Capitol Records. How may I help you?"

The person on the other end replies. I listen to their response and let them know I have to put them on hold. I'm not sure how to help them so I'll let Kelly handle it once she gets back. I resume my work for the minute that it takes for Kelly to return. "Hey, Kelly. The person that called had a question I couldn't answer so I put them in hold like you said."

"Alright, thanks." I nod focusing on my work. "Um, Andy. Did you press the hold button before or after you put the phone down?"

"A few seconds before. Why?" Kelly cringes as I speak.

"There's no one on the line. The phone must have malfunctioned again, I'll call someone to get it fixed. Do you remember who called?"

I nod, I made sure to write down who called in case I forgot. I hand her the paper, and as she reads it her face begins to pale. "The manager for Capitol Cities?"

"Yep. Is there a problem?" I ask nervous that I just bombed another job.

"No, nothing's wrong. You did what you were supposed to do." Kelly goes back to work, calling to make sure someone is going to fix the phone.

Another hour later and I've gotten more coffees than I could keep track of. "Andy, I hate to tell you this, but I need you to go get more coffee." Kelly tells me apologetically.

I sigh, nodding as I take the paper of orders from her and take the elevator down. This has been the worst part of the job, the monotonous elevator trips and constant runs coffee shop down the street. I'm honestly surprised that I haven't tripped and spilt all the coffee yet.

The elevator doors finally open and make my way out of the lobby to the coffee shop. The warm summer breeze blows through as I turn the corner to the shop. I enter and stand in the line of at least twenty people just waiting to order. I'm honestly curious as to what the employees of this coffee shop are probably thinking seeing how this is my fifth trip here in the past hour.I look up and see that the line has shortened and now its my turn to order. I don't even get a chance to open my mouth and say my orders. Before the cashier whose name tag reads 'Nathan.' "Miss, I need to inform you there is such a thing as caffeine overdose." He tells me, and I just reply with an extremely confused look. "I mean how are you not shaking? This is like your fifth trip in here. I mean its kind of inspiring that you've had that much caffeine and are still functioning." He babbles, talking so quickly everything sounds like one sentence.

"I actually haven't been drinking that much coffee. I just work in an office and they keep sending me on coffee runs." I tell him, as I simultaneously hand him the list of orders.

His face becomes much less worried and confused. "Well that makes a lot more sense than you drinking all that coffee by yourself. Yeah, way more sense. Your order should be ready soon." I give him a smile as I nod, sitting down at a table while I wait. I pull out my phone and text the band for a few minutes while I wait. I smile because I actually got to forget about the stress of this "job" before the order was called and I was doomed to return to work. I walk to the pick up counter and there is cashier dude. "Hey, you know if you want you could give me your number and text me the orders so you don't have to wait." Cashier dude tells me as he hands me the coffee tray.

"That sounds amazing..." before I can say anything else he cuts me off once more.

"But..."  _Great._  I think to myself as he continues. "It'll cost you something, either a dollar per cup or you could go out to dinner with me."

Hmmm. A few extra dollars charged to the order and payed by the company or dinner with a possible creep. I think the choice is pretty obvious. "No deal on the dinner, but for the extra money you have a deal." He hands me the coffees and writes his number down on a slip of paper and I continue on my way.

Out of the coffee shop and back into the building. I open the building door while carefully balancing the coffee in my hand. I walk through the lobby and into the elevator pressing the button for the thirteenth floor. The elevator door closes and soon begins to ascend I hold the coffee tray in my hand as I am slowly pushed to insanity by terrible elevator music. I watch the numbers increase for a bit, that is until the entire elevator jolts and comes to a complete halt. I sigh and mumble to myself. "Really?! Can this day get any worse?" Of course, I spoke too soon because I grab my phone to call for help, only to find that it's dead. I try pushing the emergency buttons in the elevator. Those don't work either.

I sigh, setting the coffee down on the floor and sit down beside it. I think for a moment, trying to figure a way out of here. I look at the ceiling for a hatch like you see in shows and movies, but I have no such luck. It seems like forever goes by and I can think of nothing to get me out of here. Time for plan b, I hit my head against the door in frustration. All of the sudden I hear a voice. "Hey, do you guys hear that thumping noise?"

"That would be me." I shout from inside the elevator.

"Hello? Is someone stuck in the elevator?" The voice asks, and I can't help but wonder why they sound so familiar.

"Yes. I've been stuck in here for who knows how long."

"Do you want me to get help?"

"Nope, I'm good right now. I can just sit in here for the rest of the day." I reply sarcastically.

"Oh, okay." The voice replies with a skeptical tone.

"I was just joking. Please get help, I hate small spaces." I tell them, desperately wanting to get out of here.

"Okay, I'll call someone." The voice says and moments later I can hear him talking on the phone. "I just called for help. It seems as if the power got disconnected from the elevator, they're fixing the problem so it should open up in a moment."

I wait in the elevator a little while longer. Soon enough the doors open and I run out screaming. "Air! Wonderful air!"

"Are you alright?" Someone asks from behind me, I recognize the voice as the person who got me help while I was stranded in the small elevator.

I turn around, and grab the person giving them a tight hug. "Thank you! You are a true angel!"

The voice chuckles as he speaks. "Don't worry about it, love." I freeze. I know that voice. I pull back from the hug blushing furiously. I look up and Sam Smith is their studying my face with a strange look on his face. I suddenly get self conscious and discreetly try to make sure there is nothing on my face. Unfortunately, I don't think I was as discreet as I had hoped. "Is everything alright?" Sam asked me still giving me a strange look.

"Y-yeah. Why do you keep look at me like that?" I ask him.

"You look really familiar for some reason and I'm not sure why." He tells me, studying my face for a few more minutes until he finally remembers. "Wait a second. You're that girl from the YouTube video, Andy Parker!"

I begin to have a mini panic attack on the inside, outside I look perfectly calm.  _But how can I be calm when Sam Smith knows my name?!_  "Yeah, I'm Andy Parker. May I ask what YouTube video?"

Sam just smiles as he pulls out his phone and shows me a video of me singing Stay With Me in a recording booth. I comb through all the times I've sung that song, the only time I sang it in a studio by myself was when I sang for Mason. Which means that Mason must have recorded it and somehow posted it on the band account. I'm snapped out of my thoughts when Sam continues to speak. "I have to say you have a wonderful voice. We should do a song together sometime."

Another man approaches not looking up from his phone. I assume this is his manager, but he speaks only to Sam as he says. "Sam we have to be heading out now. You've got a meeting to attend."

Sam just nods to his manager and talks to me as he walks towards the elevator handing me the coffee tray before he enters. "Just so you know I'm serious about doing a song with you. Here's my number, I'll contact you and your band soon."

The elevator doors close and I'm left their standing with an idiotic smile on my face. I rush to the bathroom and splash water on my face, and even pinch myself so I know that really just happened. I look in the mirror and whisper to myself. "Sam Smith said I have a good voice; and he wants to do a song with me. Best. Day. Ever."


	10. Chapter 10

The rest of the day went by in a high speed blur. After I recovered from the shock of speaking to Sam Smith, I went back to work coffee in hand. By the time I got back Kelly had gotten stressed out after my delay into getting back. I explained to her what had just happened and she said she completely understood and even apologized for not warning me about the elevator glitches. I went back to work and within the next hour and half I was on my third coffee trip since the elevator incident. It didn't take me long to realize two things. First that I hate stairs, you would too if you were stuck in an elevator, which was afterwards shut down for the rest of the day, causing the rest of them to be packed full of people and had tried walk up and down thirteen flights of stairs. Second thing I learned is that Nathan, the cashier from the coffee shop, is very sneaky. The whole adding on a dollar per cup of coffee seemed fair to start out with, that is until you have to pay an extra ten dollars on already high priced coffee.

I walk into the coffee shop on the third trip and the second I enter the shop cashier dude smirks at me. "Your order will be ready soon." He tells me as he begins to type in the price.

"Hold on one second." I tell him, debating things in my mind before I finally speak. "One dinner, not as a date, correct?"

He perks up at this, well as perked up as you can get on a major caffeine rush. "Yep, and you can still text me the orders so their ready when you come down. No extra charge."

"Fine." I grumble, I'm not exactly enthusiastic about going to dinner with a stranger, but the extra money added to the order is getting ridiculous.

Cashier dude tells me the price of the order (without the extra charge this time). I pay for the order and once it's finished I head back to work. Back into the office and I break down and take the second (non-broken) elevator up to the thirteen floors. By the time I finally make it to the thirteenth floor and walk through the stairwell entrance. Unfortunately that also meant I walked right into the person entering the elevator, and almost got hot coffee all over them. I attempt my very best at apologizing but he wanted nothing to hear of it. The man looked up and my stomach knotted. I really don't have much luck today.

"Alexandria, go gather your things from your desk and meet me here in five minutes. I'm reassigning you." My dad told me as he spoke with a locked jaw.

"Yes, sir." I do as I was told, and with each step wishing I didn't have to exist for the next few minutes. I make it back to the desk and start to get my leather jacket and purse.

"What's going on?" Kelly asks with confusion written across her face.

"I'm getting reassigned. I nearly spilt coffee on one of the executives." I tell her with a shrug of my shoulders.

"Oh. I'm sorry, well I'm glad I got to work with you, and maybe you'll get assigned to be back here later on." She tells me. I just reply with a nod before waving and heading back to the stairwell to meet my dad.

He stands there expression unreadable with a fresh shirt on, and beside him stands Mason, who gives me an apologetic look when he sees me. Wonderful, if Mason's giving me that look what I'm heading for must not be good. "Mason, take your sister to her next assignment. As for you, Alexandria, I hope you can manage this assignment until the end of the day." Our dad says before walking off without another word or a parting glance.

"How bad?" I ask Mason as we head into the stairwell.

"Not good, that's for sure. Remember what we talked about in the car this morning?" He asks me with a grim expression.

I nod, and decide it's probably best to avoid the subject for as long as possible. I remember something from earlier and decide to question him about it. "I met Sam Smith earlier today."

His expression changes and I can't tell whether he's happy or nervous. "Oh really?"

"He showed me a video of me singing." I pause before continuing. "More specifically a video of when I was singing for  _you_."

"Yeah..." He scratches the back if his head. "I forgot to tell you about that."

"Don't worry, I'm not mad, just curious. How did you get it onto the band's YouTube page?"

"I called a few old friends."

"Luke or Damian?" I question, seeing as how those are the only people from the band that he actually knows.

"Well I called Luke, but I ended up talking to someone else... I think he said his name was Matt."

I can't help but chuckle as I imagine how that conversation went; especially since he was talking to Matt of all people. "How long it take for you to talk him through it?" I ask Mason.

He looks at me slightly confused. "Well Luke came and talked him through it, but it took me about 10 minutes before that. How did you know?"

"I know my friends." We continue down the stairs in a comfortable silence.

Mason stops in front of the doorway to the 8th floor. "This is it." Mason turns to me before speaking again. "Some things you should know before we get there. First is tread very lightly around him. He's not exactly joyful about working with people our age, if this tells you anything, Mr. Montgomery doesn't even like me."  _Ouch_ , that's harsh, everyone loves Mason. Well, except this guy apparently. "Secondly, do everything he says. No matter how weird it may seem, the man is extremely smart. I haven't worked with him often, so that's all the advice I can give you."

I nod. "Understood. Well, let's get on with this."

We walk onto the eighth floor and I realize what the majority of this floor is dedicated to being used for. "So I'll be working in a recording studio?"

"Yep." Mason says as we take another turn. "Here it is."

I walk through the door and into the studio. You know that classic movie scene where there's a swivel chair and once the person walks into the room, then the chair turns and reveals the evil creepy dude? Yep, that's what happened here, and sitting in the chair was a man so old his face was almost entirely wrinkles, most of which were frown lines. Mason was right, this was one cranky old man. "You must be the new assistant."

"Yes, sir." I respond, doing my best to come off as confident. The old man raised an eyebrow, and motioned for me to sit in the chair beside him. I did as told, giving Mason an encouraging smile as I walked.

"The next appointment should be here in a few minutes. I have a few instructions for you before they arrive. Rule 1: if I ask you a question or to do something, I expect you to be quick about it. Rule 2: no talking unless I tell you to. Rule 3: do not touch anything unless I specifically tell you to. Understand?"

I nod, making sure to remember the rules as I respond. I watch his expression, and from what I can tell, he looks shocked and slightly impressed. "Good. Because the client is here." He says nodding his head. I turn around to look behind me. There standing in front of me is Louisa Wendorff, one few of the solo artists in my opinion can truly stand out. She also sings on YouTube, but last I had heard, she had gotten signed and started working on her debut album.

Louisa smiles and waves, which I return with a smile. "Miss Wendorff, if you please proceed to the recording booth so we can get everything set up." The old man, whose name from what I've heard is Mr. Montgomery, says. Louisa nods as she walks into the booth and starts setting her things up as Mr. Montgomery talks to me. "Now, Miss Malloy, your work begins. Simply put on the headphones and do as I tell you."

I nod in understanding and put the headphones on. Mr. Montgomery adjusts a few of the switches around as Louisa tuned up. "Ready when you are." He spoke into the microphone so she could hear. I survey the sound board for a moment, I don't know this equipment extremely well, but I have a decent idea of how they work. From what I could tell everything looked fine. Although, once Louisa began to sing, I noticed a slight problem with the system. I reach over to fix it but I retract my hand once I remember the rules of working here.

I sigh, debating it over in my head. Unfortunately, Mr. Montgomery heard it and decided to question me about it. "Is there a problem, Miss Malloy." I nod my head and point out the problem that I noticed. "I don't worry about that, it isn't a problem." He says as he goes back to what he was doing.

I can't help it, I just fix the problem myself when he isn't looking and reply with. "Yes, sir." The rest of the day continues and before I realized it the day was over. I wave to Louisa as she leaves, before I finished up my work. I'm just about to leave and meet Mason in the lobby like we agreed when we came this morning, but before I can leave Mr. Montgomery called out to me, "Good day, Andy, and don't think I didn't notice that you changed the board settings against my orders.... But... Good call."

I bite my lip, trying to hold back a smile as I nod. I walk out the door and can no longer hold back my smile any longer, and it stays on my face until I reach the lobby. When Mason sees my smile he looks at me with curiosity. "What's gotten you so happy?" Mason asks ask as we started walking towards the front exit.

"Nothing, really." I say, and to which Mason gives me a look that tells me he does not believe me in the slightest. "But I do have to say, working with Mr. Montgomery wasn't nearly as bad as you had made it out to be."

"What are you talking about? Mr. Montgomery is virtually impossible to work with and will only criticize everyone!" Mason tells me looking at me like I've completely lost my mind.

"He actually told me I made a good call." I tell him before ignoring his looks as I walk to the car and climb in. Mason climbs in soon after and we head back to the house. "Let's see what songs are on the radio." I say to no one in particular as I browse through the stations until I find a song that Mason and I both enthusiastically sing along to.

Mason and I joke and laugh for the remainder of the drive. Mason pulls into the garage and we continue joking and laughing even as we walk into the house. Unfortunately, all conversation stops once we walk into the kitchen and see our dad. Now this wouldn't have stopped our conversation, but his expression is what made us do so. He stood in the center of the room, arms crossed and a sour expression, he did all of this as he glared specifically at me.  _Oh, no. I've seen that look before. This is not going to be good._ My fears are confirmed when he points to me and says, "My office, Alexandria, right now." With that, he walks out of the room and off towards his office. I give Mason a look trying to let him know it will all be alright. I follow my dad into his office, and sit down in one of the chairs. He just stands there for a few minutes, leaning against his desk not saying a word, only glaring at me. The silence drags on until my father finally decides to begin his lecture. "Alexandria, I didn't even know it was possible for a single person to fail so many jobs in one day."

"Technically I only failed at two of my jobs today."

"No, you failed all three, young lady." My father says through a clenched jaw before continuing. "You ruined the records office, you spilled coffee on me, and you failed to properly perform your duties for Mr. Montgomery."

"Actually I didn't fail with Mr. Montgomery; he specifically told me I made a good call." I tell him in all honesty.

"I didn't hear anything from him about that, so I have no basis to go against my assumption. I'll keep you working with him until I get a request otherwise, and you should do your best to make sure that doesn't happen."

I sigh, falling back in the chair. I really just want to leave the room at this point so I ask, "Can I go now?"

He looks at me, nods his head and tells me, "Yes, you can go. Although, I do hope you realize, if we can't find you a job you can succeed at you won't be able to fulfill your part of the deal."

I don't even bother to turn around, I just nod my head as I walk out. I go back to the kitchen and sit on the counter and watch silently as Bianca makes dinner. "Want any help, Bianca?" I ask, hoping she'll say yes. She nods her head and smiles as she directs me on what needs done.

I hop off the counter and follow Bianca's instructions. Maybe this day isn't entirely composed of me messing up. I think to myself as Bianca and I carry on a conversation. Within ten minutes dinner is completely finished. "Go head on into the dining room, I can take care of things from here."

"Alright, thanks for letting me help." I say smiling at her as I head into the dining room, truly appreciative that she helped distract me from the conversation with my dad. Mason is already seated at the table so I just sit down in the chair beside him. "Hey."

"Hey..." Mason says then stop in an awkward pause. "So, how bad was the meeting with dad?"

I sigh and shrug my shoulders as I say, "It wasn't that bad, he was mostly just frustrated."

Before anything else can be said our dad comes in and takes his seat at the head of the table. He completely ignores my existence as he begins to talk business things with Mason. Luckily I don't have to endure it for long before Bianca starts bringing the food in. I give her a grateful smile and a warm 'thank you' as she does this.

She just nods and finished setting down the plates before she goes back into the kitchen. Everyone at the table begins to eat our food as Mason and I try to start a conversation. "So..." I say trying to think of a topic to discuss.

Mason apparently thinks of one because he continues my sentence. "We sure have been having some nice weather. Don't you think?"

"Yes, it has been exceptionally nice weather." Dad says as he looks only at Mason.

The silence soon returns after a moment. It remains until we heard the back door closing and the jingle of keys. I look up and give Mason a confused look to see if he knows what's going on, but he merely avoids making eye contact. I look towards the doorway and see a tall blonde woman walk in keys in hand, smiling as she walks over and gives my dad a kiss on the cheek. "I'm sorry for being late. The airport was really busy and my flight arrived a little late." She takes the seat between my father and I, she notices my presence. "And you must be Alex. I've been looking forward to meeting you ever since your dad told me you were coming. I've heard so many wonderful things about you."

I almost choke on my food as she talks. I highly doubt she's heard that much about me, especially if she called me Alex. "Actually it's Andy, I haven't gone by Alex since I was a little kid." I tell her with a fake smile. Her face falters for a moment and I can tell she's embarrassed by the mistake, I just pretend not to notice as I continue to talk. "But it's nice to meet you,..." I pause giving her a chance to tell me her name and a little about herself.

"Stacie." She says with her smile returning. "I'm so excited that your spending the summer with us, it'll be a great chance for us to get to know each other, which will be nice seeing as how we're family."

Her words make me even more confused. "Family?" I ask not even sure how we're 'related'.

"Oh, I thought you knew." She tells me as she takes a glance back to my dad, who merely shrugs as if he forgot to mention this detail. "I'm your stepmom."

Well I definitely wasn't expecting that. I give the step-monster a fake smile as I pretend to be excited by the news, but once she isn't looking I glare at everyone at the table, especially Mason, who does everything he can to avoid eye contact. I grit my teeth as the conversation picks up and I quickly finish the meal. The moment I finish, I quickly excuse myself before I run up to my room.

I make it to my room and lock the door before I collapse on my bed. I grab my pillow and hug it to my chest. I don't understand this, why didn't any of my siblings tell me dad remarried? And why did he even remarry? I thought he divorced my mom because he  _hated_  being married. I sigh, and decide to just stop stressing about everything and just take a shower.

It is amazing what a hot shower and listening to some music can do, but it doesn't work in this case. Once I climb out of the shower, dry off, get dressed and blow dry my hair. I throw my hair into a messy bun and climb under my covers as I randomly text Luke, trying not to cry. "Can we skype, please? It's been a really bad day." Is all I type, and the reply comes within minutes as he calls me on FaceTime. "Hey." I barely manage to whisper, holding the phone sideways so he can see me while I lay down.

He skips the formalities, immediately asking, "What happened? What's wrong?" He gives me a sympathetic look, when he sees me crying.

"I don't want to do this, Luke, but I've wanted this so badly that I can't give up." I tell him, but he waits for me to keep going as if he knows there's more going on. I begin to babble on about everything, even vaguely mentioning how good today should have been because of meeting Sam Smith, but at the end I manage to say between sobs, "He remarried."

I watch as Luke's face turns from empathy to complete anger. "Are you serious?" He asks gritting his teeth. He just huffs, and rolls his eyes as he continues. "Andy, I don't know if there's anything I can say about this situation that you haven't thought, but let me say this: I've never blamed  you for being upset with him, but now I need you to listen to me. It's more important now more than ever to show him the mistake he made by leaving you and your mom behind. No matter how badly you want to come home, or how much we all want you to come back, you  _have_ to finish this. Prove him wrong about you, don't fall for his game and become another one of his pieces. Keep your head up, do this because it's your dream and you've worked to hard for this to give up now. Okay?"

I wipe the tears from my eyes, feeling my resolve strengthen as I wipe away my tears and nod. "Yeah. You're right, from now on this is for me, and you guys. This is for every tear I cried, and I'm not giving up until the dream becomes real."

"There's my best friend." He tells me with a proud smile. "Now go out there and show them the rebel I know." 

"I will." I reply, with a small laugh. "Thank you, Luke. I really needed that."

"I know, it's the reason I'm your best friend. Now get some sleep, you have the world to conquer in the morning." Luke replies, as we say goodnight and I smile feeling more confident knowing no matter what I have someone to help me back up. I drift off to sleep feeling a little bit more confident about facing what's to come.

. . .

"Andy, wake up." someone says as they nudge me. I don't reply, I just groan. "Andy, please just get up."

I lift my head out from under the covers and look at the time. The clock reads: 2 a.m. "What do want at 2 in the morning, Mason?" I ask him angrily, upset about being woken up and still bitter he never told me about  _her_.

"There's been an emergency, and dad want us downstairs in five minutes ready to go."

"Fine, I'm ready." 

"Andy, you really should put on some pants before we leave."

I look down at my pajamas, which consists of one of Mason's old t-shirts and a pair of running shorts.

I sigh, "Fine I'll put on sweatpants, is that alright?"

"Yeah, it'll work."

"I better be getting something good for being woken up this early." I grumble as I walk over to my drawers and grab the pants.

"And what might that be?" Mason asks me as he lingers in the doorway for a moment.

"Coffee. Lots of coffee." I tell him, he chuckles and nods before he walks out. I quickly change into the sweatpants, put some eyedrops onto my eyes since I accidentally fell asleep with my contacts in, and head downstairs.


	11. Chapter 11

I get to the bottom of the stairs where my dad is waiting tapping his foot impatiently. I with him in awkward silence; that is until Mason comes in like the angel that he is... I'm not saying my brother is an angel, but because  _he brought me coffee_ , it's the only thing keeping me from being angry at him. I swear I can hear angels singing right now. "Alright, let's get going. We need to get there as soon as we can." My dad says as he practically shoves Mason and I out the door. Way to ruin my moment, Dad, way to ruin my moment.

"Do you know what this is all about?" I ask Mason as we walk out to the car.

He just shakes his head, "Nope, just that it's an emergency." He says as he opens my door for me. I just nod and climb into the backseat. I can't help but wonder why Dad decided to drive the bigger car, I mean it seats six people and there's only three of us... I don't get to finish my thought due to my dad and brother starting to talk. "So what's the emergency, Dad?"

My dad just sighs as he keeps a firm grip on the steering wheel. "We were renting place a few minutes away from the studio for one of our major clients. I got a call from them and the fire department, I didn't get all the details, but it seems as though their place almost burned down. They'll probably have to stay with us for the remainder of their visit and, Alexandria, you'll be in charge of taking care of them. That means you get them where they need to be, help them out with whatever they need."

"So I'm going to have to babysit one of your clients?!" Seriously?!  _WHY DO THINGS LIKE THIS HAPPEN TO ME?!_

"Yes, and if you do as poorly on this as you did the other jobs, then the deal will be off."

"You're kidding me, right?"

"Not in the slightest."

"Why can't I just keep working at the recording studio with Mr. Montgomery instead of babysitting one of your 'major clients'?" I almost shout at my father.

"Because I said so, and you'll do it if you want to have a chance at making it in the music industry."

I sigh, falling back against my seat. Well, I just hope they aren't snobs, or this is going to be a long summer. The rest of the ride drags on in complete silence, no one says a word, but I do take the occasional sip of coffee. The only communication that occurs throughout the time is Mason looking back and giving me a sympathetic look, almost as if he's trying to apologize for dad, but if he tries to do that, he'll spend his entire life saying 'sorry'.

I know when we're getting close due to all of the sirens and lights flashing. Dad parks the car on the street a short distance away from the building, and without saying a word gets out of the car and starts walking over. I take that as a hint to follow him, so I climb out of the car, chugging my coffee because I have a feeling I'll be needing it. By the time I catch up to my dad he's standing in with a group of guys who look to be a few years older than I am. "Alright, let's get down to it. What happened?" I hear my dad ask, I look to the guys and I can't help but notice how the one with the curly blonde hair won't stop staring at his shoes, Dad noticed to I'm assuming. "Ashton," he says and the boy looks up like a child caught doing something wrong. "Why don't you tell me what happened?"

The boy, who's name I'm assuming is Ashton, returns his gaze to the ground as he quietly says, "I just wanted mac and cheese." Hold on a second... I put the pieces together in my mind... The fire department's here, Dad said their building almost burned down, and Ashton is acting all guilty and saying he just wanted mac and cheese. My question is, how do you start a fire trying to make mac and cheese? It's just cooking pasta and adding the cheese.

My dad just sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose as he says, "It doesn't matter now. You'll all be staying at my house for the rest of the time. But I have good news, I found someone to help you manage your schedule and help you with whatever you need." With this, he brings me forward and I stand there in silence as he continues talking. "Boys, this is Alexandria Mal-"

I cut him off before he can finish that sentence. "Actually, it's Andy, Andy Parker." I give my dad a pointed look, making sure to emphasis 'Parker,' which is actually my mother's maiden name, and what I use as my last name on everything but legal documents and such, since I haven't gotten it officially changed. My father just returns the look, before brushing it off and pretending like it never happened.

The boys seem to be completely oblivious to this silent argument. "It's nice to meet you, Andy. I'm Michael..." He waves and then turns to the boy next to him, expecting him to also introduce himself. He doesn't, instead he just kind of waves as Michael just sighs and introduces him. "This is Luke." I do my best to remember their names and faces so I don't get mixed up. Michael: blue hair. Luke: the tallest, makes me feel as if I'm as short as Skylar, which is really short seeing as how she's only 5'1" and I'm 5'7". What can I say, if you stick to simple facts it makes it easier to remember, especially for a partially caffeine deprived early morning brain.

Ashton and the other boy seem to zone back in to the conversation. "Oh, I guess I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Calum." Calum: band bracelets.

"Hello." I say, as I discreetly try to stifle a yawn. Everyone just stands around for a moment in silence, the only noise being the chatter of onlooker, upset tenants, and the fire fighters. "So, you guys are in a band? What's the name I might know of it."

This seems to perk up everyone except Ashton, who slowly seems to be warming up but is still in a state of gloom. "5 Seconds of Summer, you ever heard of it?" Michael asks. I try not to roll my eyes as I mentally sigh.

"Yep." I say, biting my tongue from saying anything further.

"--And?--" Calum asks hopefully... Well, I hope they won't get offended by my answer.

"You're music is okay."

"Just okay?!" Michael asks with a look of 'horror.'

"Mhm." I reply to them.

"So, if you don't like our music, whose do you listen to?" The tall one, Luke...I think, asked.

I think it over for a moment before counting a few off on my fingers. "Hmm, let me see. To list a few: Marianas Trench, Fall Out Boy, Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran, All Time Low, Blink-182, a few songs by Panic! at the Disco, the Maine, Sleeping With Sirens, My Chemical Romance, Twenty One Pilots, and also a small band called Tidal Wave."  _Shameless self-promotion right there._

They all nod, seeming to agree with some of the bands, until I say my own then everyone just looks confused. "...Tidal Wave? Like the All Time Low song??" Ashton asks as a small smile creeps onto his face. "I love that song, maybe I should go listen to them. They obviously have good taste in movies."

I just smile knowingly as I tell him, "You should go listen to them, I really like their music." Before anything else can be said my dad and Mason come back, and I have to say my dad does not look particularly happy. He talks to the boys for a moment to tell them to gather up their things and meet us at the car.

Mason looks at me with a strange smile on his face. "It seems as though you're all getting along. Maybe this won't be too bad." He tells me.

I just roll my eyes and walk towards the car, the only reply I give is, "I need more coffee." Mason just chuckles and we walk to the car in silence. We lean against the car silently waiting as our Dad sits in the drivers seat talking on the phone as we wait for the boys. Wait a second... There's seven of us now, the four guys, Mason, dad, and I; but the car only seats six... This might be a problem.

"Mason, how are we all going to fit in one vehicle?" I ask my brother, hoping he may be able to give an answer.

"Um... Hold on, I'll ask Dad" Mason tells me as he opens up the car door and asks. He gets our Dad's answer and turns to me with a strange look on his face. "He said you can either share a seat with someone or sit in the trunk."

Wow, Dad. "I'm sitting in the trunk. There's no way I'm sharing a seat with someone I barely know, and you're my brother which would be creepy and just plain weird." I tell Mason as I walk to the back of the car and lift the trunk door up. I look at the trunk, which openly connects to the rest of the car, just like the trunk of pretty much any van. I take a seat on the ledge and resume my wait.

The boys soon enough come out each carrying a duffel bag, they come to the car and pile them in the trunk, a few of them giving strange looks probably wondering why I'm sitting here and not in the car. What? Have you never seen a tired person do things that seemed strange to you?! As they climb into the car I adjust their bags so I have enough room to sit semi-comfortably. I climb into my little space and snuggle myself in, Mason chuckles when he closes the trunk. "Don't laugh at me! I'm tired and finally somewhat comfortable... So no laughing."

He holds his hands up in defense, shaking his head as he walks away. The car starts up and we're on our way back home. Honestly sitting in the trunk wouldn't have been that bad, if it wasn't for my dad taking every turn as sharply as he could without making it bad for everyone else. I get tossed to the side again and hit my head on the trunk's frame, saying I'm being tossed around like a sack of potatoes would be an under-statement because I'm pretty sure potatoes would be treated better.

We hit the more straight roads and I finally stop getting thrown around. I settle back down into my small spot of the trunk, and before I even realize it I'm drifting off to sleep...

"Andy, wake up." I hear as I'm gently nudged by Mason.

"We back at the house?" I ask groggily as I stretch out my muscles, which feel strangely stiff for being in the car for such a short time.

"Yeah, we are." Mason says his voice sounding strangely high-pitched. I feel like my mind is trying to tell me something about that tone, but my mind is still lagging behind. Mason helps me out of the out of the trunk and we walk into the house.

The moment I walk in I'm hit the glorious smell of Bianca's food.

"Do I smell Bianca's food?!" I shout as I enter the kitchen.

"Yes, Andy, yes you do." Bianca smiles at me, and I follow her as she carries food to the dining room. "I was wondering where you were, because I knew you of all people would never miss a meal."

"What do you mean?" I ask her, slightly confused.

"Well everyone else was here, but you weren't"

I look at Mason, seeing if he knew what Bianca meant. He just rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact as he says, "We may have forgotten that you were asleep in the truck."

Wow. If I wasn't hungry and still tired I think I might be upset at this. For now, I just shrug my shoulders and sit at the table, gathering food to eat... And I just realized there's more people than usual.

"Hey, Andy!" One of them waves to me, and I desperately rack my brain trying to remember their name.

"Hi..." Wait a second... Blue hair! His name is... Michael? "...Michael, right?"

"Yeah." He said with a smile, and I breathe a sigh of relief. Previous conversations resume and I just join in a conversation with Mason and one of the other boys; breakfast drags on, until something terrible happens. I go to grab a waffle, and... THEY'RE ALL GONE!

I just sit there for a moment, staring at the place where Bianca's heaven waffles once were. "What's wrong?" Mason asked once he sees me staring at the plate.

"Heaven waffles-- gone." I whisper sadly.

"Here have one of mine, I took two." Mason says with a chuckle as he passes the waffle.

"MASON, YOU'RE THE BEST! I LOVE YOU!" You're probably wondering, 'are the waffles really good enough to be making such a big deal over?' The answer to that is: YES. Anyways, back to normal, but still peculiar Andy. "So what's the schedule for today?" I ask no one in particular.

"You're taking the boys shopping so they can replace all the stuff they need that go ruined; that's what I was told."

"Okay. I'll just go take a shower and get ready so we can get this over with." I say, dismissing myself from the table and going up to my room. I have a feeling today is going to be the start of a long summer.

A half hour later I'm clean (awake) an ready to go. I take one last glance in the mirror just to make sure I look somewhat presentable. Hair in a high ponytail, my prescription nerd glasses, a small amount of makeup, and a semi-'girly' outfit (which means I'm wearing one of my very few skater skirts instead of jeans), it'll have to do. I hit the bottom of the stairs and begin to look for Mason or the boys. I can hear the sound of loud conversation and laughter, so I follow the noise knowing it has to be them. Sure enough, I find the boys and Mason in the living room, filming some sort of video. I just roll my eyes at their idiocy and take a seat on the farthest couch as I wait for them to finish. "Andy! Come join us!" Band bracelets says, can't remember his name at the moment so that's what I'm going with.

"Nah, I'm good." I say not moving from my spot.

"Please?!" The really tall one asks, Luke if I remember correctly, asks giving a pouty face. "Please come be in the video with us." I wasn't actually planning on moving from my spot (even though the face he was giving me was pretty convincing), but then I saw the begging face Mason was giving me, then all the other boys joined in on giving me the face... If I don't go over there I know I'll never here the end of it, so I stand up and sit down at the edge of the couch, just out of the camera's view. "Everyone, we would like you to meet our newest friend, Andy!" Someone said, I'm not sure who, but I do know that I was quickly pulled over to the middle of the group, right in front of the camera. I just wave at the camera for a second, silently hoping this will be over soon. I don't mind being in front of a camera or even tons of people, but I'd rather do it with my friends than complete strangers.

A few minutes later, they end the video, and are finally ready to go. "Hey, Mason. Which car am I supposed to take?"

"Right, I almost forgot about that. Here's the key, it's parked outside the garage."

I nod, taking the keys, making sure that I remembered my phone and wallet (credit card included). Yep, I've got everything I need. "Let's go boys!" I shout before walking off towards the garage.

I walk into the garage to see a... Really?! A mini-van? I have to drive around in a mini-van? Well, I just have to work with what I'm given. I get into the drivers seat and wait for the boys to load up, googling directions as I wait. "TO THE MALL!!!" The boys shout from the back seats, well Calum from the front seat next to me. We hit the streets and Calum says, "Let's listen to some music."

"No. Unless it's my phone, then we can." I say from the driver seat, glaring at him before he can touch the dial.

"Alright." He plugs in my phone and music begins to play. "You're music taste isn't half as bad as expected." Another glare.

I swear, if it wasn't for the fact that it was my music playing I think I would have gone crazy. I didn't know people could be this annoying. I finally catch a break though, a Pain and Panic song comes on. I tap my fingers on the steering wheels to the beat of Skylar's drumming. I take a quick glance at everyone else in the car and smile seeing as how everyone is all jamming out. "This band's really good! Who are they?"

"Tidal Wavw, they're the band I was telling you about earlier." I say, with a sly smile on my face as they keep complimenting on the music. I AM THE QUEEN OF SELF-PROMOTION.

We arrive at the mall, parking the car relatively close to the entrance. I walk inside with the boys, and the insanity begins. Being pulled along to various stores, and quite literally having to  _babysit_  four teenage boys. I swear in the two hours that we've been here, I've said no to more times than I've ever had to before. The reason why? These boys just want to buy random junk, instead of what they need and the stuff we actually came here for. I'm not kidding here are some of the scenes that I've experienced throughout today. Luke coming up to me out of nowhere, almost scaring the living daylights out of me because he was so quiet. What had he almost killed me to ask about? If he could buy the TNMNT backpack from Hot Topic. Calum wanted an 'authentic Mexican poncho.' Michael asked me about getting a samurai sword. Then they all dragged me (quite literally) into Toys-R-Us and practically begged me to get water guns, and those are only a few of the scenarios. I snap back into the present checking my phone as I wait for the boys to finish up. "Hey, Andy! Can we get this?" Ashton shouts as he runs up to me with a toy lightsaber in his hand. Yes, I now know all of the boy's names due to me having to say no to them so much.

I just give him a look of all my current emotions. "Look at my face. It should give you the only answer you've gotten to that question all day."

"So is that a maybe?"

"No. The answer is still no."

"Hey, Ashton. Could you tell the others that if they have everything they need, we should probably get going. It's almost six as is."

Ashton just nods and runs off to go gather up the others, who I occasionally see riding children's bikes. A part of me wishes they were my friends, if they were I would definitely be over there with them, but instead, they're just four people I barely know. I just stand near the entrance, leaning up against the wall completely wiped out. Ten minutes later the guys finally meet me at the entrance, carrying multiple bags from stores that didn't have the things they needed, and honestly it's been too long of a day to care. "Alright, you guys are here. Let's go."

Out to the van and back to the house. "Mason, Bianca, we're back!" I shout as we into the house.

"You guys we're out a while. Did you have fun?" Mason says as he sees us walking in. The boys all reply with a chorus of 'yeah's' and 'totally'. I just give Mason a look telling him to not push the subject right now. "Anyone want to watch a movie after dinner."

"Sure. I call getting to pick!" I shout before walking out of the room, smirking at everyone's shocked reactions.


	12. Chapter 12

We all sit crowded in front of the den's large screen. I laugh as I put the movie on and they all exchange worried looks. "Why won't you just tell us what it is?" Mason asks me, as he sits down between the guys with a bowl of fresh popcorn. 

"Because that would ruin the fun of it all." I tell them with a devilish smile, knowing that Mason is likely compiling a list of horror movies that he thinks I would put on. "Don't forget, you guys agreed to watch the whole thing through." They all nod miserably. I sit down on the small couch next to Luke, who awkwardly shuffles over to make more room. "You're fine. It's not like I'm going to bite or anything." I tell him with a laugh, which he returns as he returns to how he originally was. The disc begins to play, and I pull out my phone to snapchat Skylar about it, captioning the video, "Putting our old prank movie to good use."

The confusion that follows through the next hour and a half is hilarious. Especially because only Luke seems to get that the movie has been spliced to be a mix between horror and rom-com. Skylar and I got bored one night and made it so that the rom-com plays most of the time, and during the cutest moments, it cuts to a jump scene from the horror. The best part of it all is watching the guys get into the romantic story-line only to miss the best moment, jumping instead and blaming it on a tv glitch.

I have to hide my face behind the blanket to keep them from seeing my laughter, and as the movie goes on I notice Luke doing the same thing. "How did you even make this in the first place?"

"A friend of mine took a film editing class in high school, combine that with a late night during a prank war and this beauty was created." I reply with a smile, and he offers a fist bump. "I know, it's pretty awesome, but wait until the end. It gets a whole lot better then."

I can't help but laugh as what unfolds next. The volume slowly begins to lower as the romantic plot-line finally starts to close. "Turn it up! I can't hear it!" Ashton shouts nudging Mason, who frantically scrambles for the remote. "Aw. Look at how cute they are together. I knew they would end up together." Ashton continues as the main couple is just about to kiss. Unfortunately for him, the scene cuts, and instead of the movie a screamo music video begins to play at full volume. Everyone in the room shouts as they cover their ears, except for Luke and I who simply roll around laughing at them. Once the video ends and the credits for the movie scrolling over the screen.

"What?" Mason stutters, his face changing into realization when he sees Luke and I. "What did you two do?"

"Nothing. I just may have put in an old prank dvd I forgot I had in my laptop." I tell him through laughter. "I have the original movie if you want to see the real ending of it, but I couldn't help myself."

"Oh, that's cold, Andy." Michael tells me as he jokingly shakes his head.

"Be prepared. You know I always get my revenge. So if I were you, I would be a bit careful for a while." Mason tells me with a sly smile as he walks out of the room.

I just shrug my shoulders, because knowing Mason the prank won't be anything I can't handle. I lean back in the couch and sit with the guys, who decide to set up one of the consoles and play a game. "Andy, come on! Grab a console and join the game."

"Are you sure you want to play with me? Or are your egos too sensitive to take losing to me?"

"I'm sure we can handle it. We play this game way to much for you to beat us." Calum says with pride. "Grab a console, and we'll see if you can really beat us."

"Fine, just don't get mad at me when you lose." I take on of the extra consoles and sit down on the floor in the middle of the guys. Five minutes in and Michael and Ashton have officially give up. "Are you ready for round two? Or are you going to give up already?"

"No, definitely not ready to give up." Calum shouts back looking determined.

"How are you so good at playing video games?" Luke asks, looking at me dumbfounded.

"I have three older brothers, so I learned from the best. We used to play ever weekend, and they never went easy on me." I tell him with a shrug. "C'mon, let's go." I tell them as we start the next round. I can't help but laugh as they shout at the screen and the other try to shout advice at them. "Watch your back." I warn them, as I take Luke out of the game.

"What?" He shouts, setting his controller down and looking at me in shock. His face changes, and he looks over at Calum saying, "Dude, you have to beat her."

"I'm trying to do it, but it's not as easy as it looks." He replies, as he tries to get the jump on me. "Wait, where did she go?" He pauses for a moment, turning to me with wide eyes. "No, don't you dare try to snipe me."

"Who ever said anything about sniping you?" I ask as I crouch down on one of the hills, zooming in through my scope. "If you want, I can give you a few seconds to run before I do anything."

"Crap." Calum whispers as he runs for cover. "I should have thought of getting into sniping position earlier." He complains as he tries to find out where I'm nested.

"Okay, I can't give you an eternity, Calum." I tell him, as I impatiently tap my controller. "I'll give you a choice: you can surrender and admit that I beat you, or I can just end this the hard way." I jokingly tell him with a bit of pride.

He just sighs as he thinks it over for a moment, before he rolls his eyes telling me. "Fine, I admit it. You win, but we'll have a rematch later."

"That's okay with me." I reply with a smile as we quit the game. "All right, it's too late for me. So I'm going to sleep. Goodnight, guys. I'll see you all in the morning."

"Night, Andy." They reply back, and I trudge up to my room as I crash in my bed for the whole night.

"Andy! Wake up!" Someone shouts at me. "I need your help with something."

"What in the world?" I ask groggily, forcing my eyes to focus. "Michael, what are you doing in my room this early in the morning?"

"I need your help with something, and I didn't want to wake the guys up."

"So you woke me up instead?" I ask him, wondering if he realizes what I'm like in the early mornings. "Ugh, fine. I guess this  _is_  part of my job description. What do you need help with?"

"I need your opinion on a song I just wrote." He tells me as he motions for me to follow him. "I don't really know, I just kind of came up with a concept and started writing it down."

"Alright, well I don't mind listening to new songs." I tell him with a shrug and a yawn. "I just wish it wasn't so early in the morning."

"I know, but I just wanted an opinion on it before I keep going with it." He tells me as we walk into the recording studio. "Okay, here are the lyrics I have so far, but I haven't come up with a tune for it quite yet."

I read over the lyrics, and I nod my head as I begin to hear the song developing in my head. "I like it. I think this could be a really great song." I pause for a moment, before asking. "Do you mind?" I ask as I pick up the pencil motioning to the paper. 

"Go ahead." I nod and continue to scribble down more lyrics. Once I finish I hand it back to Micheal, and I pick up a guitar as I start to play out a tune. "Wow. This is really good." He comments as he grabs his bass and starts developing the song with me.

"Thanks, I play around with song writing in my free time." I tell him with a smile. "Let's see if we can get this song finished."

"Sounds good to me." He replies with a smile. 

It takes us a couple hours, but eventually we get the song flowing. I quickly find myself singing along with the chorus. "Words that you said to me. Hey, hey, Hailey, won't you save me Bittersweet chemistry. I can't escape you anywhere, even in my dreams, all that's in my head are pictures of memories, words that you said to me. Hey, hey, Hailey, won't you save me?"

I smile as we play the rest of the song, and I can't help but ask, "So who is Hailey?"

"Oh-- um--she's a." Michael stutters, avoiding eye contact and obviously having a hard time forming whole sentences.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." I quickly tell him, worried that I may have gone too far. "I was just wondering, I mean it sounds like you care about her, whoever she is."

"No, you're fine." He sighs, setting his guitar aside. "She was just someone who I used to know and I really cared about for a long time. We used to go out all the time, and last night she texted me. It kind of brought back all these feelings a memories, which inspired the song."

"Well, the best songs always come from the best and worst feelings. You can't write something real without knowing what you're writing about." I tell him with a shrug, but I know from experience. All of my best songs, always came from my best and worst days. Unfortunately, most of them are pretty depressing, and for a lot of them the inspiration comes from everything I've gone through with my dad.

"So what are some of the songs you've written?" Michael asks, and I can feel my guard go up. "Will any of us ever get to hear some of them?"

"Maybe one day." I tell him, I don't know what to say. Usually if someone finds the music I write with the band, I don't mind. I just always seem to have a problem showing someone my music. "I promise one day, when I get the courage to simply play my music in front of you guys."

"Do you not play in front of people?"

"I do. I'm just not used to doing it without my friends there with me." I tell him and before we can say anything else we hear the shuffle of footsteps in the hallway.

"What are you guys doing in here?" Mason asks looking at us in shock. "Never mind, you guys were probably just working. Bianca probably has breakfast ready if you want any."

"I'm coming! I'll never turn down a chance to eat Bianca's food." I say with a laugh as I run out and slide around the hallways. "Bianca! Please tell me you have waffles for me!" I shout as I get closer to the dining room.

"Of course, I'll always have waffles ready for you." She tells me with a smile. "Here you go."

"Thank you, Bianca." I sit down at the table and begin to eat as the rest of the guys. "Hi, everyone." I involuntarily gag as I eat some of the waffles.

"What's wrong, Andy?" Mason asks with a sly smile.

I look at him in horror. "You didn't. There's no way you could be vile enough to ruin Bianca's waffles."

"Oh, but I am." He tells me as he starts to laugh.

"You are completely evil, Mason." I tell him in shock. "Bianca is going to kill you when she finds out."

"When I find out what?" Bianca asks as she brings in a fresh plate of food.

"Mason messed with your waffles! They don't taste like they should!" I shout like an upset child.

Bianca just glares at him. "What did you do?" She asks looking at him with disdain.

"I may or may not have switched out some of the ingredients."

"Mason, I hope you know what you've done." I tell him, standing up as I continue. "You've just initiated a prank war. If I were you, I would be  _very_  careful."

"Fine." He replies, but the boys all look around confused.

"I suggest you either pick a side or we pick our teams. Trust me, trying to stay neutral in a prank war rarely works and is a lot less interesting."

"I'm on Andy's team." Michael chimes in.

"I am too." Luke adds.

"Dang it. I wanted to be on Andy's team too." Ashton says in disappointment, and I smugly look back at Mason.

"I don't care what you guys say, I'm with Mason." Calum shrugs as he grabs some food.

"Well, Ashton, I wouldn't mind having an extra player on my team, but the teams have to be even. So you guys will have to work out who is on my team."

"I'll just go to Mason's team, but I won't be happy about it." He sighs.

"Okay, let the pranking war commence." I tell the group, "I would suggest treading carefully from here on out."


	13. Chapter 13

"Alright, guys. We need to come up with a plan for what we're going to do first." I tell Luke and Michael. "Since we know who we're up against pretty well, it makes this whole game more interesting."

"Yeah,  but it also means they know how exactly to get to us." Michael informs us, but we don't pay much attention because we all are thinking of our first prank. "I think there's something we could do, but it might just backfire."

"What is it?" Luke asks, instantly perking up. "What's the plan?"

"Well, I was thinking--" Michael tells and the beginnings of the prank war started to develop. "So what do you guys think of it?"

"I think it could be interesting." I tell them. "I say we get set up tonight while everyone is asleep. That way we can--" I'm interrupted by my phone buzzing and I look down to see someone I had completely forgotten about-- coffee shop guy. 

I read the text and almost gag as I roll my eyes. "So, when did you want to go on that date?"

"What's wrong?" Luke asks, noticing my expression.

"Nothing, just some weird guy I met wondering when we were going out." I reply, but quickly realize I should explain the backstory. "I was working at the offices before you guys nearly burnt the house down. I had to make coffee runs, and this guy offered me to text the order to him so I didn't have to wait in line. Unfortunately he had a loophole, and it ended up being I go out with him once. Now he's wanting to know when we're going out."

"Gross, he sounds like a bit of a creep." Luke replies with an uncertain look.

"From what I've seen he is, but I can't back out on my word." I tell them with a sad shrug. "Do you guys have anything planned for tonight?  Honestly, I would rather just get it over with."

"No, I don't think we have anything planned." Michael and Luke both confirm. "Do you want us to give you some back up just in case something goes wrong?"

"Yeah, it would probably be a good idea. I was going to ask Mason, but I don't know what he would say." I tell them with a shrug.

"Either way, we here if you need us." Luke encourages with a smile. 

"He's right. Just let us know if we're needed. I'm going to go hang out with the guys for a bit. I'll see you later." Michael informs as he leaves Luke and I in the room. 

"What do you want to do today?" I ask Luke. "We could just go hang out with the guys, play video games, or plan some more pranks."

"I'm good with whatever." He tells me with a small smile and shrug.

"Um, I don't really know. I just realized I barely know anything about you, or any of the guys for that matter." I tell him, starting to feel horrible for not bothering to get to know any of them. "Why don't we get to know each other? I mean, we do have to spend the whole summer together, we might as well start becoming friends now."

"Sounds good to me." Luke replies with a genuine smile. "Um--So what's 'Andy' short for?"

"Alexandria. My mom named me after one of her favorite people, Alexander Hamilton." I tell him with a laugh. "She loves history, and was always fascinated by the story of him. We actually saw Hamilton when it was on. I have never seen her more excited for anything in my life." I pause, shaking it off. "Okay, you're turn to answer my question. How did you guys become a band?"

"Now that's an interesting story." He says with a small laugh as he begins to regal me with the tale of how he met the guys and how they started the band in the first place. By the end of it, I'm in awe. It's so interesting how part of their story is similar to my own, and it only makes me miss my friends so much more than I already did.

"Where's home for you?" Luke asks, noticing my change of mood and attempting to change the subject.

"New York City, east side to be more specific." I tell him with a forced smile, and he waits for me to continue. "It's busy, not like LA, but still crazy. I still love it though, to me it's always full of light and wonder. I've spent my whole life there, and it's where I met my four best friends."

"What are they like?"

"Well, let me see." I pause, leaning back as I think over how to explain them. "Well, Damian and Luke are my oldest friends, we've been inseparable since we were kids. I guess you could say, Damian is the sound voice of the group. Whenever you need some advice, someone to help you logically think through a situation, or tell you a stupid joke he's the one you would call first. 

"Luke, on the other hand, is a complete opposite. He's the one you go to when you need to do something off the wall or you need to get out of your comfort zone for a bit. Although, at the same time, he's the one who has always been there for me. Even when my life got crazy, and I thought no one would be there, he was. He's the friend you know you can always count on, and I know I can always count on him for a good bit of gossip."

"They sound like really great friends." He tells me, "What about the other two?"

"Oh, the other two are more wildcards. Matt is--well--he's Matt. There really isn't another way to describe him. Skylar is a firecracker. Those two are a bit harder to explain, you kind of have to get to know them for yourself instead of taking my word for it." I brush it off and turn the questions back towards him. "So where did  _you_  grow up? What was it like there?"

"Well," he begins to say as he thinks over what to say. "I grew up in Sydney, and I went to the same school as Michael and Calum." He continues on to tell me stories from when he was a kid, how he met the guys, and even the story of how they all formed the band. "So what about you? What was it like where you grow up?"

I start to fidget, not really wanting to open up about my childhood like he just did. My walls have all been in place for so long and I still have the same fear that opening up will scare people away. "Like I said I grew up on the upper east side of NYC. I grew up in a big apartment with my three older brothers and my parents. After they split up, things were different though, and that's when I started getting really close with my friends Luke and Damian. They were my rocks through the whole mess. After that, I ended up going to a different school and getting a fresh start, which is how I met Skylar and Matt." I pause quickly looking up at Luke as I try to decide how to word it without opening up too much. "It was a heard time, but it got better with time, and now I'm here, working in LA."

"Is that it? You told me almost nothing about yourself." He states with a strange look on his face, but his expression changes after a moment. "I'm not going to push you to talk about something that you don't want to."

"Thanks." I tell him with a thankful smile. "I'm bored. I'm going to find something to do."

"What were you planning on doing?" He asks as I stand up.

I take a quick glance outside the window and see the garden, well more specifically the pool. "I was thinking about going for a swim. Unless you and Calum need my help to set up the first prank."

"We should be all right. I can let you know if we end up needing your help." He tells me as he walks away.

"Cool." I reply as I quickly change into my swim suit and cover up before heading out to the pool. I pass Jessica on my way out, but I try to ignore her. 

"Headed out to the pool?" She asks, noticing my flip-flops and towel.

"Yeah, I was just going to go for a quick swim." I tell her quickly as I walk out the back door.

"I was just about to spend some time relaxing out in the garden. Do you mind if I walk with you?" She asks, and I know she's trying to get to know me better.

"Sure." I reply, realizing I don't have much of a choice. Through the whole walk, she tries her best to make small talk with me, but I've never really been one who enjoys stiff conversations. I nearly sigh in relief when we I make to the pool and she promises to see me later. 

I jump into the pool and swim a couple laps before I'm interrupted. Mason walks up to the edge of the pool. "Hey, Andy. Can I talk to you?" He asks as he paces the length of the pool as I swim. I don't say anything, but he continues anyway. "I'm sorry about everything." He sighs as he continues, "I'm sorry about not telling you about dad, warning you about the job, and especially for being such a crappy brother."

I stop swimming and meet him at the edge of the pool. "Thanks for apologizing. If you hadn't apologized, I probably would have been extra hard on you during this whole prank war. I forgive you by the way, for dad, the job, but I don't think you've been a crappy brother."

"Yes, I have." He tells me as he sits down on the edge of the pool. "I knew more bout the deal and everything else than I let on. Dad has me in the position of his right hand man of sorts. He's basically training me to be just like him. I didn't want to tell you, because I didn't want you to think I'm becoming just like him."

"I would never think that Mason. You could  _never_  be him. No matter how hard he tries to make you. He's nothing like you, he doesn't have your heart. Trust me, if either of us would turn out like him, it would be me."

"Andy, that's not true." Mason says painfully. "You and Dad haven't gotten along since we were little. What makes you think that?"

"I don't know. I guess it's just my imagination."

"Don't worry about it, Andy. Come on, Bianca probably has lunch ready by now."

"Okay. Help me out?" I ask with a devious smile, but Mason refuses. "Fine. I'll do it myself." I tell him as I pull myself out of the pool, and once I'm out, I give Mason a little shove and he goes tumbling in. I watch him with laughter as he surfaces and shakes his head at me. "Sorry, I couldn't help it.  Just consider it payback for all those times when we were kids."

"Fine, I'll give you that." He tells me shaking his head as he gets out of the pool. 

We quickly eat lunch, and I hear from Luke and Michael that they set up the first prank. "Awesome. Let's set it in motion after we eat." I tell them with a laugh, and throughout the rest of the meal the three of us share secretive glances. 

"What is up with you three?" Ashton asks, and I know he's feeling a bit left out.

"Don't worry, Ashton. We'll tell you later." Michael tells him.

Lunch passes quickly, and everyone rushes off in different directions. "I'm going to go take a shower, after that we'll pull the prank." 

"Do we really have to wait?" Michael asks excited to put his plan into action.

I sigh, giving in. "Fine, did you program the ac to shut off already?" I ask, and he nods in reply. "Perfect, now we just hide out in our rooms for a bit and wait."

"Awesome. Let's just make sure you we have a camera ready so we can show them it later." Luke says with a chuckle.

It only takes a few minutes for the house to become extremely hot, and us to hear multiple shrieks from around the house. Luke, Michael, and I all walk out into the hallway to see three upset, glitter-covered guys. "What did you guys do?"

"What do you mean?" I ask them pretending I have no idea what they're talking about. "Why are you guys covered in glitter?"

"You should know. You were the ones that did this." Calum seething at us.

"Okay, I will admit that we did this." Luke chuckles. "But you have to admit you guys look hilarious."

"How did you guys do it?" Ashton asks, unable to pretend he's mad at us.

"Turned off the ac and locked the screen so everyone would think it's broken." I start off with a smile, but Luke continues before I can say anything else.

"Then while you two were in the den with Michael and Mason was out talking to Andy, we put glitter on all the ceiling fans upstairs. That way, when you guys were too hot up here, you would turn on your fans and get  _covered_  in glitter." He tells the guys through laughter.

"I still can't get over how ridiculous you guys look right now." Michael says gasping from laughing so hard.

"Wow." Ashton says, shaking his head as he laughs along with us and gives each of us a high-five.

"Ashton! You're supposed to be on our side!" Calum shouts at him, but he rolls his eyes as he continues. "Whatever, just be prepared. We're going to get our payback soon enough."

"That's what Mason always used to say." I comment as I walk away. "I won't believe it until I see it. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go shower and clean up." I go into my room, grab some fresh clothes and quickly hop into the shower. Once I'm finished I dry off and put my clothes on, I rub the steam off the mirror and nearly scream when I see my reflection. "MASON, I AM GOING TO  _KILL_  YOU FOR THIS."


	14. Chapter 14

I hear footsteps rushing down the hallway and into my room. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" Luke and Michael ask before they notice why I was screaming.

I slowly turn around, doing everything I can to keep my composure. "Where is Mason. I need to go kill him for doing this."

"Your hair is--is--" Luke starts, but it takes him a second to finish the second. "It's almost pink."

"Actually it's more a purple. They must have used hot pink or bright red, but since your hair was already blue it just came out as a florescent purple." Michael continues.

"I know, Michael. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go kill the other team for this." I say marching out of the room. "Mason, you and the others better watch out because the gloves are officially off."

The prank war only escalates from there, and over the course of the next week a multitude of pranks are pulled. Some of the best ones were a ketchup bottle practically exploding all over Calum and Ashton (no thanks to my secret alliance with Bianca), my team getting stuck in a real house of horrors while Dad was away, and even a fake "sabotage" of our stuff. It all just kept building up, and the whole time we were waiting for the other side to give in.

Unfortunately, it was still in full force when I had to go out with the creep from the coffee shop. "Okay, so I know we're in the middle of the prank war, but I really need my big brother right about now." I tell Mason as I twirl my car keys in my hand. "Please, I don't want to have to even go out with this guy, so I could really use a escape hatch."

"Why are you even going out with this guy in the first place?" Mason asks completely baffled as he shakes his head.

"Long story short when I had to make a coffee run every twenty minutes for all the executives--who just couldn't use the high quality machines they have. He offered to save me some time and text him the order so I could pick it up and leave right away, but the loophole was that he would charge extra to the order or I could hang out with him--once. This is that one time, and I can't back out because he knows where I work. I just can't take the chance of someone getting another excuse to punish me."

Mason just leans back in his chair and sighing as he nods his head in understanding. "Fine. I'll keep my distance and give you an emergency call to get you out when you text me."

"Thank you so much, Mase. We should probably get going, he told me to meet him at some random coffee shop and indie club fusion? I don't really know what it is, and I don't think I'll be there long enough to find out." I pause, standing up and spinning my keys again as I say. "Let's go."

When I get there, coffee shop-guy is waiting outside, bouncing on his feet, likely from too much caffeine. "I was worried you wouldn't make it!" He tells me as he greets me with a gimmicky bow, and it takes every part of my will to not cringe. "Let's head inside, and get this date started."

"This  _isn't_  a date. This is just two people hanging out." I tell him, and he just pretends like I never said anything in the first place. I do my best to just push past it, and try to make the best of this dismal situation. "So what exactly is this place?" I ask as we go inside, and I'm met with a very LA-hipster atmosphere. The smell of coffee, and the sounds of machines brewing fills the air. Everyone here, quietly chatters and sips their coffee as they listen to the acoustic music. There are even a few people standing up and seeing along to the music.

"It's a coffee bar." Nathan, coffee dude, replies as though it was plainly obvious. "One of my friends helped come up with the concept. It's a coffee only bar, meets club with live indie music. Luckily for you, we came on one of the special nights where some of the guests are chosen to sing." I start screaming inside my head, knowing what he's about to say. "I had my friend put our names down on a list in advance, since he owed me a favor."

"Oh, that's nice, but I really don't like singing that much." I tell him, lying through my teeth.

He just laughs for a moment, shrugging it off. "Well, either way it makes for a pretty fun date."

I just sigh, keeping myself from hitting my head on the table as we sit down. It's completely pointless to try to explain to him that this  _isn't a date_. We awkwardly talk as we sip on the odd coffee fusions we ordered. "So, what brought you to LA?" Nathan eventually decides to ask after a long span of silence.

"Well, it's sort of a long story, but I got a job out here over the summer. So I flew out here for to work, and when I'm done, I'll be heading back home." I tell him casually, hoping that he doesn't try to push any farther.

Luckily for me, we're interrupted by someone coming over to the table, and a part of me feels like I know him. "Nathan, glad to see you after all this time, and who might this be?" He asks as he looks over to me.

"I'm Andy." I introduce myself before Nathan could say anything.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Andy." He greets me with a smile as he shakes my hand. "Oh, Nathan, you're up next on stage, and don't worry, I'll give your friend some ear plugs and conversation while you're gone."

As Nathan walks toward the stage his friend takes his place, "Brace yourself, he doesn't sing very well."

"So why do you let customers get up their and sing?" I ask him, with a small smile creeping on my face.

"It's what makes life interesting. People love getting to do something out of the box every once in a while, and that's kind of what this place has become known for." He replies with a casual shrug. "Oh, no. Brace yourself, he's getting on stage." I have to cover my mouth to keep from chuckling as I realize that he is indeed right. "Don't worry, he always does short songs, and then it will be your turn."

"Oh, I'd really rather not sing in front of everyone right now."

"Nonsense, I'm sure you have a great voice. All it takes is a couple drops of courage to get you going." He tells me with a charming smile, and I lean back in my chair. I keep wondering where I've heard that phrase before, but I don't get a chance to figure it out before I'm being called up to the stage.

I awkwardly stand there, and ask the guitar player if he could play the only indie style song I can think of at the moment-- Ace of Hearts by Zella Day. I take a deep breath, and start singing the words. I watch as the whole cafe seems to quiet down or in my mind it does. I don't pay much attention to the people in this place, instead, I focus on the song.

When I finish, I walk back over to the table ignoring the polite applause of the people in the coffee shop. "Wow, that was amazing, Alex--" Nathan's friend said before quickly trying to cover it up by saying, "I mean, Andy. Sorry, you just remind me of an old friend."

I stop for a moment, and I realize that he never told me his name. "Thank you." I tell him with a cordial smile, and decide to ask him something to confirm a hunch I have. "I'm sorry, I don't think I caught your name before."

He just tries to look away from me as he says, "I'm Peter." The moment he says it, all the pieces fall into place, and I can feel my chest begin to tighten up.

"Nice to meet you, Peter." I barely manage to say. "Excuse me for a minute." I tell the two of them as I rush away. I run into the bathroom, barely able to pull my phone out of my pocket. I don't even pay attention to the number I call.

"Hey, Andy. What's up?" The voice says from the other side, but I quickly realize it's not Mason.

"Could you do me a favor? I need to get out of here, but I don't know where Mason is. Can you tell him to bring the car and meet me outside, I really need to get out of here as soon as I can."

"Yeah, of course. Do you want me to stay on with you?"

"Yeah, I'd appreciate it if you could."

"Sure thing, Andy. I just text Mason for you and he'll be there in a minute." Luke tells me as I walk back out to the table. "Are you okay? It sounds like your crying."

"I'm f-fine." I stutter, but the silence tells me that he doesn't believe me. "I'll be okay when I get out of here, and I can explain it all later." I quickly tell him, stopping at the table and giving them a quick excuse before I rush out the door with my jacket and purse.

I wait on the corner for a minute before Mason pulls up next to the sidewalk. "What's going on? Are you all right?" He asks looking at me with worry. "You know I was planning on calling a cab and leaving you as a prank, but when I got Luke's text I knew I had to come back. I would never have left if I knew something was wrong."

"Yes, I know that. Don't worry, I'm fine. I just needed to get out of there. Can we go now, please?" I tell him a little to angrily, but I just turn away and face out the window. We drive back to the house in silence, and I march into the house before Mason can say a word.

"Hey, Andy--Andy." I hear someone call behind me. I turn around fully prepared to yell at whoever it is, but I find that it's Luke. "Andy, I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

I try to say something--anything, but I my tongue just won't work for me. Instead, I shake my head and continue up the stairs, but Luke follows me. "If you want me to leave you alone, that's fine. I just needed to make sure you were okay, especially after how you sounded on the phone earlier."

"No." I barely manage to say. "I really don't want to be alone right now, and I probably could use someone to talk about this with."

"I can go get Mason if you need--"

"No! I don't want to talk to Mason about all of this." I tell him, and continue to walk. We enter in the recording studio, and I sit down on the floor with my guitar in my lap. "Sorry, playing always helps me calm down." I tell him as I play a slow tune.

"I understand. I'm the same exact way." He tells me, but doesn't push me to explain myself.

I stop playing and set the guitar aside. "Okay, so it's time for me to explain myself. When I was at the coffee place with that guy, I ran into someone I used to know." I take a deep breath as I continue. "Well, I guess you could say he's my ex." I look up at Luke's face to see him trying to cover up his discomfort and shock. "Although, we never really had that kind of relationship, I called him my boyfriend back then, which was a huge mistake. His name was Peter Lance, and we met in middle school and started 'dating' right when we entered high school.

"It was the worst relationship of my whole life. At first, he seemed so nice, but I quickly realized that we didn't get a long very well. Our relationship was--destructive-- to say the least. I still can't believe how stupid I was back then." I say shaking my head, as I continue on. "To sum up our story, he was a complete jerk. As it turns out, the whole 'relationship' we had was one gigantic joke on me. The worst part is, back then I was fooled into thinking he cared. I was the dorky kid that no one liked. I mean, my parents were divorced, my mom worked as hard as she could to keep me there, and I was obsessed with my music. I was practically tormented there, but I would always keep a brave face to keep my mother from finding out.

"When he transferred, I assumed that he would just be another person to ignore me, but one day he walked up to me and asked me out. I was enchanted by the idea that someone could like me for who I am. Until I found out the truth, and it all came crashing down on me. I heard some of the popular girls talking about how 'hilarious it was to watch me with him when it's all fake.' I ran out of there crying and had my mom let me go home early. I texted him later that day telling him I knew everything and it was all over. I hated myself for the longest time because I believed him." I stare at my lap in silence for a moment, and look up to see Luke trying to hide his mixture of shock and I'm not sure what else. "My mom found me crying when she got home, and I told her everything. She ended up letting me transfer schools, and I only saw Peter once after that. He found me at my favorite coffee shop right before he was going to move away. He told me how 'sorry he was for doing all that to me' and 'hurting me like that.' The worst part was he told me 'we could be together for real this time. All it would take is a few drops of courage and forgiveness. The worst part is, he called me by the name I used to go by and now hate, and he even said I 'reminded him of an old friend.' We were never friends, especially after what happened."

"That's despicable. How could someone ever do that to another person? Especially to you?" He says, obviously upset and looks at me like he can still see me hurting.

"So, obviously, when I realize it was him I ran into tonight. It reminded me of everything I went through. Gosh, I can't believe I still feel this weak after all this time."

"You're not weak, Andy." Luke tells me as he rests his hand on mine. "Don't let anyone make you feel like that. You are so much more stronger than you think, and no one should have the power to make you feel like you're anything less."

I awkwardly look up at him and give him a real smile. "Thank you, Luke. Oddly enough, that's probably exactly what I needed to hear. You know, you actually kind of sound like my friend Luke back home." I tell him with a smile, "That's the kind of thing he always tries to tell me."

"He sounds like a nice guy." Luke says with a bit of a forced smile. "Are you two?"

"What?" I ask, unsure of what he means for a moment. "Dating? No, I'm not dating anyone. To tell the truth, I've really never dated anyone before."

"Really?" He asks leaning back. "You've  _never_  dated anyone before?"

"Nope. I've never really found someone I thought I could see myself with. Not that I've had anyone really interested. I guess I always decided I would wait for the right guy. You know, one I could actually see the relationship going somewhere with." I tell him with a casual shrug.

"That's actually really cool. Most girls I've know just wanted to be in a relationship, or to have someone go with their every whim."

"Well, as you can tell, I'm definitely not 'most girls,' as cliche it is to say that." I tell him laughing, and he soon laughs along with me. He continues the conversation and I keep smiling, realizing that I no longer felt the anxiety and pain that I had earlier. I notice that I'm actually happy, and for once, feeling like myself.


	15. Chapter 15

"All right, everyone, I need you in the living room right now. We have a busy day ahead of us, and I ned to go over the schedule before we go." I shout as I pound on each of the band member's doors. "You have five minutes before I come in there with a ice bucket like last time." I shout as I run downstairs to the living room. Even as I walk away I can hear their muffled shouts and a few thuds as they roll out of bed.

I check my phone and count the minutes as they all trample their way into the living room. "Okay, can we at least get some coffee before we start?" Ashton asks as he wearily rubs his eyes, and goes to the kitchen.

"I already brewed some when I got up, so help yourself. I'll just go through the schedule while you're getting your coffee." I tell them as I pull out the paper with today's schedule. "So today is going to be really crazy. We have an writing session at the studio in about an hour, a recording session following that, a radio interview, and John scheduled a small casual appearance later today, which should be pretty chill. While we're there he wanted you to hopefully get some good press coverage by just hanging out there most of the day. Then tonight, we're supposed to prepare for press releases of your upcoming singles and start album promotion on social media."

Despite their daze, the guys stare at me with wide eyes, and Calum lets out a low whistle. "That's a lot to do in just a day."

"I know it is, which is why we really need to get started. It's going to be crazy, but we'll get through it." I tell them, checking my phone and starting to usher them out the door. "All right, let's get going. We have to get to the studio for your writing session." We drive to the studio and I can already feel my headache coming on as they guys all chatter and laugh. I can't help but smile when I realize who the receptionist today is. "Hey, Kelly! It's been a long time since I've seen you it feels like."

"Andy, hey! It really has been a while. So where did they end up putting you?" She asks as she greets me with a smile. "I haven't seen you at all around the office this past week and a half."

"I got re-assigned to help out these guys." I tell her with a joking eye roll. "Speaking of which, I have to get them upstairs before I get into trouble for being late."

"Who is it with?"

"My list says, Mr. Carlyle? We're supposed to meet him up on the third floor." 

"Well, since it seems like you know what you're doing, I'll let you go." She tells me with a smile and we take the elevators to the third floor.

When we get inside, I'm surprised to see a younger man sitting in the room, he smiles and greets me when as I enter inside. "You must be Andy. I'm Thomas, but most people just call me Tommy. Have a seat, everyone." He tells all of us, motioning to take a seat around the long table. "It's nice to meet you all. So tell me, have you guys had any ideas about what you guys were wanting to do with this album." The meeting begins, and put my earbuds in as I work on some of my own stuff. 

Eventually I feel someone nudge me, and look up to see Michael rolling his eyes and looking bored. I take out my earbud and look at him expectantly. "I'm bored. What are you working on so intently?"

I just give him a half smile as I whisper back. "I'm working on some of my music. Why are you bored?"

"Because, I feel like this guy isn't actually listening to any of our ideas. Personally, I'm starting to wish you were the one helping us write these songs, because he's got the weirdest writing method."

"Seriously? It's your guys' album, shouldn't he be listening to you?"

"I would think so, but he just keeps suggesting all of these random ideas." Michael tells me with a shrug.

"Let me see what I can do." I tell him with a whisper before I continue talking to him at a normal volume. "Personally, I think that's an awesome idea. I mean that could be a pretty awesome concept for more songs or even the album as a whole." I tell Michael with a sly wink, and let him pick up from where I left off.

Within the hour, the band has started writing a ton of songs. "Wait, Andy, what was that one thing you were showing me last week? Like when you were telling me how you wrote, you had that really cool concept?" Ashton asks me, and it takes me a moment to remember what he's talking about.

"Oh, I know what you mean." I tell him with a smile. The guys all start bombarding me with questions about this. "Hold on for a second, I have to pull it up." I can't help but laugh at their excitement as I start telling them about one of my song writing methods, and they end up running with the methods and concepts. Within the hour, they have three more songs starting and we have to rush over to the recording studio for their next appointment.

We take the elevator up to the floor with the recording studios. I walk into the session and can't help but smile when I see who's recording today. "Hi, Mr. Montgomery. How are you doing today?" I ask with a beaming smile while the guys behind me all try to hide their dismay.

"I'm doing all right, Andy." He tells me with a ghost of a smile on his face. "And this must be 5 Seconds of Summer. It's nice to be working with you again. You can go ahead and make sure everything is set up. Andy, you can help me while they record."

"Sounds good to me." I let the guys start heading inside as I take my seat and adjust some of the settings on the sound board. Mr. Montgomery doesn't say anything, he just follows my every move and gives me an approving nod.

"Go ahead, whenever you're ready." He tells the guys, and they all start playing their instruments. I start to jam out to the music, occasionally making adjustments when necessary, but the more I listen, the more I start thinking of my band. I talked to them on Skype a few days ago, but it feels like it was forever ago.

I zone out for a little while, but I still maintain enough attention to keep up with what's going on. When the guys each take their breaks while one of them records vocals, I quickly pull out my phone and text my band. " _How much longer until the summer is over? I've had some song concepts, but I can't make any songs without you guys._ "

Unfortunately, my break doesn't last for very long, and I'm back to listening to the guys record the song. I absent-mindedly tap my foot along to the beat as I zone out, but still go through the motions. "That's all for today." Mr. Montgomery says to the guys at the top of the hour. "It was a pleasure working with you again." I assume the comment was directed at the guys, but I look up to see him staring me down with a micro smile. "I hope to see you again soon, Andy."

"I hope so too, Mr. Montgomery." I tell him, extending my hand, which he takes after a moment of surprise. "

"OFF TO THE FAIR!" Ashton shouts as he runs down the hallway and repeatedly pushes the button for the elevator.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Ash, but you have a radio interview before we can go to the fair." I tell him as we all get into the elevator, and immediately his face drops with disappointment. "If it's any consolation, the interview should only be a half hour max." I tell him with a smile, but I had no idea what was about to happen.

We made it to the station and I waited for them, as I listened in on the interview. I quickly lose interest as they bring up the same topics as every other interviewer, until I hear them ask an odd question. "So, rumor has it that one of you guys snagged a girlfriend recently. Would you mind telling us more about it?" The interviewer, Danny, asks them with a sly smile, and my stomach drops knowing he must have something up his sleeve.

The guys all look at each other genuinely confused. Michael eventually speaks up, "Actually, no. None of us have a girlfriend right now."

"Yeah, I mean, we've gotten to meet some really cool people here, but none of us are currently dating." Calum adds with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

"Really?" He asks, obviously not believing them, and casts me a quick look before continuing. "Because you guys have recently been talking and posting pictures with the same girl. Your fans all seem to think that one of you is dating her."

I pinch the bridge of my nose as I realize exactly what he's doing. He's baiting them into feeding the feeding the rumor, and I happen to be the subject of said rumor. I sit back in my chair, trying to give the guys a look not to say anything. "Do you mean Andy?" Luke asks, and I have to keep myself from hitting him upside the head for talking.

"Oh, so that's her name. So  _none_  of you are dating her?" He asks, and the guys all chorus back with variations of 'no.' "Well, it looks like she's here with us today. Come join us, Andy! I'm sure the listeners would love to get to know you, even if you aren't dating any of the guys." I try to back out of it, but they pull up a chair and offer me an extra headset before I can even stop them. I awkwardly put it on and introduce myself. "So, Andy, tell us a bit about yourself. How did you meet the guys?"

"Um, well, I'm working for Capitol Records over this summer, and I've just been helping the guys out while their here in LA." The interview continues on, and it mostly consists of them asking us questions about my relationship to the guys.

"All right, that's the end of our interview with 5 Seconds of Summer, stay tuned later today for their single, She's Kind of Hot, to release." The interviewer says as they start playing another song on the radio. "Great interview, guys. Thank you so much for coming." He pauses turning to me giving me a charming smile as he continues. "Thanks for being such a good sport about going on air all the sudden."

"Not a problem." I tell him, forcing a smile as I grit my teeth, my stomach churning at the thought of what will happen when my dad hears this interview. He'll probably think that this was some grand scheme on my part or something ridiculous like that. "I'm not feeling well, I'm going to have Mason go with you guys to the fair. I don't think I should go."I tell them, lying through my teeth. I feel bad for even thinking it, but after that interview, I'm scared to be seen with them for fear that the rumor would only get worse.

I look up to see Michael, Ashton, and Calum all looking at me with sympathy, but they quickly tell me it's fine. "I'll go call Mason for you." Ashton says as he walks away a few feet. Michael and Calum walk over and wait with Ashton, but I look up to see Luke giving me a strange look.

"What?" I ask him, wrapping my arms around myself as a cold breeze comes through.

"I don't believe you." He says, taking a step forward. I open my mouth to protest, but he stops me. "What's  _really_ going on?"

"Nothing. I just don't feel well." I insist, my heart racing when he takes a step closer to me.

"Fine." He turns around to the guys for a second. "I think I'm going to skip going to the fair with you guys. It's been a long day, so I think I'll just go back with Andy." 

"What are you doing? Go to the fair with the guys."

"No."

"Why not? Tell me the real reason."

"Because, I don't feel like going." He pauses for a moment and says the next part so quietly I nearly miss it. "Plus, it wouldn't be any fun without you."

 _What's that supposed to mean?_ I don't get a chance to ask him about it before Mason pulls up in the van. "You okay, Andy? The guys said you weren't feeling well." Mason asks looking concerned, but I just nod my head and insist on going home. "I'm just going to drop Luke and Andy off and then we can head out--" Mason starts to say, but the guys collectively decide they would rather skip the fair and stay. I roll my eyes as we walk inside.  _Well, there goes my plan of avoiding them._


	16. Chapter 16

"I'm bored." Calum whines as we're all lying around the den downstairs. "Andy, make me not bored."

I roll my eyes and sigh as I look up from my spot on the couch. "Why do you guys solely rely on me to entertain you?"

"Because you're very entertaining." Calum replies with a cheesy smile.

"Why don't you set up the Xbox or something?"

"But I don't feel like getting up." He sighs, slouching for a moment before perking up as he says. "I know, we should play 'truth or dare!'"

"Really?" Ashton asks Calum as he tries to keep from laughing.

"Come on, guys. It could be fun." He begs, and eventually we all agree just to appease him.

"So who's going starting us off?"

"I will." Calum says, turning to Michael. The game quickly escalates from there, and soon enough, we know more embarrassing secrets about each other than I had ever imagined and have seen each other do some pretty ridiculous things. "Andy." Calum turns to me with an evil grin. "Truth or Dare?"

"Since it's you asking, I'm going to say truth."

"What's the story between you and Mason? You two seem to be pretty close." He says jokingly wiggling his eyebrows.

"Ew. Please, never do that again." I shout in between fits of a laughter. "It's nothing like that. Mason and I are just best friends, and there could never be anything romantic between us. It would just be wrong if there was."

"Well, that's harsh." Calum scoffs at me.

"What? He's my brother for goodness sake!" I shout not even processing what I just said. "I mean, he's like my brother." I quickly add trying to cover it up, but it's obvious their putting the pieces together in their minds. I don't let them say anything, I just keep the game going. "Ashton, truth or dare?"

"Um... Dare?" He responds, looking almost scared.

"I dare you to hand your phone to Michael and let him tweet something from your account." Ashton's eyes go wide as he shakes his head repeatedly, but eventually he gives in, not wanting to face another punishment. We all roll on the floor laughing at his expression while Michael tweets from his account.

When he's finished, Ashton turns to Luke. "Truth or dare, Luke?"

"Truth." He replies looking confident.

"What was your first impression of--" He pauses looking around the room, his eyes settling on me. "--Andy? You have to be honest."

"Umm. Do I really have to answer this?" He asks, his face becoming beet red as he rubs his neck. I try to catch his attention, but he adamantly avoids eye contact with me. "What would by my punishment be if I don't answer this?"

"You would have to sleep outside for the night." Ashton tells him, to which Luke quickly accepts.

As the game continues on, Luke won't so much as glance my way, which makes me wonder what was so bad about his first impression of me. I don't pay much attention to the game after that, but I notice all of the guys keep trying to choose either Luke or I. Eventually they ask me again, and I choose dare on a whim. "Okay..." Michael thinks for a moment, before he smiles as he tells me my dare. "Go into the bathroom until we tell you to come out and face the other half of your dare."

I give him a weird look knowing he has to be up to something, but I do it anyways. Over the next few minutes, I keep my ear pressed to the door in the hopes of hearing what they're saying, but I have no luck. I can barely hear them as they whisper to each other, but I can't make out any of the words. I stay in there, counting the minutes in my mind as I wait. "Okay, seriously, guys? Please, just figure out the other half. I'll give you two minutes before I'm coming out." I shout at them through the door.

"It's okay, Andy. You can come out now." Michael calls back.

"Finally, I was wondering how long it would take you--" I start to say as I open up the door, but I'm interrupted by something. Well, more specifically someone--or at least their lips on mine.

I don't even have a second to react before it's all over, and Luke pulls away with his cheeks a bright shade of pink. I stand there in shock and notice the others looking between the two of us expectantly. "Well, that wasn't exactly how I pictured my first kiss." I say as I feel my face becoming warm despite my attempts to stop it.

"Uhhh, I-I think I'm going to go." Luke stutters before he quickly runs out of the room, not even pausing when the guys all call after him.

"What just happened?" I looking at each of the guys in confusion. I bite the inside of my cheek and try to steady my breathing in the hope they won't notice how flustered I am. As I turn to each one, they refuse to look me in the eye. The whole room is painfully silent, and I just roll my eyes telling the guys they know where to find me if they want to talk.

The stairs creak as I walk up them, and I hope I don't run into anyone on my way up to my room. Unfortunately, as I walk by the living room, I hear Mason call my name and turn around to see him looking worried. "Andy," he says looking me up and down with concern, "is everything okay. I just saw Luke and he looked pretty upset. Is everything okay? What happened?"

The moment the words come out of his mouth, I feel my cheeks start to burn, and I can only imagine what shade of crimson they are. I know I could  _never_  tell him that Luke kissed me (even if it was part of a dare). "It's nothing to worry about, and I'll go upstairs to talk to him about it." I hastily reply as I try to walk away, but Mason puts a hand on my shoulder to stop me.

"Okay. Something is definitely going on, but I know it's no use forcing you to tell me. So, instead, I'm going to change the topic. I should warn you, Dad hasn't seen the video of today's interview yet. So far he's been too busy or I've been able to distract him, but you should know he's going to watch it soon. I don't know how he'll react, but you should prepare yourself for the worst just in case."

"I figured as much since I haven't been called into his office yet. I'll figure something out." I sigh, running a hand through my hair and shaking my head as I continue. "No matter what, I'll just have to deal with whatever the consequences are. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed. I have a feeling I'm going to need my rest." Before he gets the chance to say anything else, I'm already up the stairs.

The sound of a guitar makes me stop for a moment in the middle of the hallway, and I look through the slightly open door to see Luke sitting on his bed, hunched over his guitar as he scribbles something down on a piece of paper. I gently knock on the door and lean on the doorframe when it swings open. For a moment, Luke and I just look at each other in an awkward silence. "Hey." He whispers, looking uncomfortable and nervous. "I'm sorry." We both blurt out simultaneously, but Luke just gives me a puzzled look. "Wait, why are you saying 'sorry'?"

"Because, I-I-" I stutter trying to get my words out as I step into the room, but I can't figure out why the situation is making me so nervous. "I feel like I made things ten times more awkward back there."

He looks at me completely dumbfounded. "Andy,  _I'm_  the one who should be apologizing." He pauses, running a hand through his messy, blond hair as he motions for me to sit down. I sit down on the bed across from him with my legs tucked under me. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I let the guys put me up to that. It was-- uncalled for, to say the least."

"Luke, don't worry about it. I'm not mad at you or anything like that. I just wanted to apologize and make sure you were okay." I pause for a moment, adding on. "I also wanted to make sure that things wouldn't be awkward between us now." The words begin to tumble out of my mouth faster than I can think them. "I mean, I know it was just a dare, but you and I are such good friends I would hate for this to make things weird or anything like that. I mean--"

Luke just chuckles, putting his hand over my mouth to stop my rambling. "Andy, breathe." I take a deep breath, and he removes his hand as he continues talking. "I don't want things to be awkward either. I mean, it was just a dare. It's not like it meant anything right?" He asks pretending to be casual, but for a moment I think I see a flicker of worry in his eyes.

"Yeah. It was just a dare." I agree half-heartedly, a part of me wondering if it might have been something more. "So what do you say? Friends?"

"Friends." He tells me with a charming smile.

"Good. I didn't want to lose you as a friend. Mostly because you're the only person I feel like I can be myself and honest around." After a second of silence, I change the topic so I don't have to think about it any more. "So what are you working on?"

"A song." He jokingly replies, and I roll my eyes at him. "It's not finished yet. So before you ask, no, you can't listen to or read it."

"Ugh. Fine." I sigh, standing up. "I guess I'll just go to sleep then since I'm tired and have nothing better to do." Luke just shakes his head and laughs at me. "Goodnight, Luke! I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Andy." He tells me and I head to my room, falling asleep for the night.

My phone startles me awake as it blasts my favorite Sleeping with Sirens song. I look at my phone, squinting in pain at the brightness, and read the screen to see a picture of Skylar and I displayed with her name. "Sky, why in the world are you calling me right now? It's like six o' clock in the morning."

"Alexandria Lynn Parker, you have  _a lot_  of explaining to do." She shouts at me through the phone.


	17. Chapter 17

Skylar kept yelling for a good five minutes before I could even get a word in. "Skye, what in the world are you talking about?"

"What is all this stuff going around about you dating a member of 5sauce? I mean, I wouldn't be mad if you were dating someone, because I'm your best friend and I just want to see you happy. The only reason I would be mad is if you were dating someone and didn't tell your best friend who has been trying to get you to go out and find someone for over a year." She rambles on, and I wait for her to finish before I reply.

"Skye, I'm not dating anyone. Those are just a bunch of stupid rumors that the media made up to cause trouble."

"Dang it." She whines, and I can practically see her pouting. "I was hoping you finally found someone who fit your high standards."

"There's nothing wrong with knowing what I want and waiting for it."

"No, there's not. Let's be honest, for a minute, though. You could really use a healthy relationship outside of the band, and having a boyfriend wouldn't hurt."

"Skye,--" I sigh back in reply, but I get interrupted by my dad calling my name from downstairs. "Crap. I think I'm about to get into trouble. I'll call you back when I can."

"Okay, but we're having a serious girl talk later."

"Whatever you say." I tell her as I walk down the stairs, saying a quick goodbye as I stand next to my dad. We wordlessly walk into his office and sit down. "So, what am I getting lectured about today?" I ask pretending to be cheerful.

"I just wanted to commend you on how you handled yourself in the interview yesterday." He says, and I lean back patiently waiting for the catch to come. "Although, I did want to speak to you about the rumors going around."  
  
"I'm not dating any of them if that's what you're worried about." I tell him defensively before he can even start getting onto me about it.

"That's not what I was about to say." He says leaning forward on his desk. "I wasn't worried about you dating one of the guys. In fact, I was curious if there was anything between you and one of them? If there was I would need to know so we wouldn't get blind-sided by it."

"Hold on one second." I tell him raising my hand. "You're saying you wouldn't have a problem with me--you're daughter who you highly disapprove of-- dating a member of your label's biggest client?"

"No, I wouldn't. On the contrary, I would  _encourage_  it." He tells me, making sure to emphasize his words, and I start to see his hidden meaning. I roll my eyes, shaking my head at him. "Alexandria, hear me out."  


"No." I shout before he can say anything else. "You don't have to explain anything to me. I can see what you're trying to do. You want me to date one of them to give you the publicity you need. I won't do it. I won't date one of them for some publicity stunt."

"It doesn't have to be a publicity stunt. If you were genuinely interested in one of them and were to start a relationship with one of them, than it wouldn't be a stunt."

"But even then, you would still want to exploit it  _for_  publicity. Am I right?"

"Yes." He tells me bluntly.

"What if I say 'no'?" I ask defiantly.

"I would advise against it if you want to get you and your band that record deal." He tells me with a raised eyebrow, and I almost laugh at how he's using it as bait for me.

"You know what,  _Dad_ ,--" I start to say, but we're interrupted by a knock at the door. Mason quickly pokes his head in through the door, but his eyes grow wide when he sees my and our dad's expressions.

"I was just going to let you know breakfast was ready." He says quickly looking worried and embarrassed.

"Thank you, Mason. We'll be out in a moment." My dad replies cordially, and holds a hand up to keep from speaking. "We will finish this discussion  _after_  breakfast."

"Fine." I tell him as I march out the door without even looking back at him. I sit down at the table with my arms crossed in front of me and a sour expression on my face.

"Are you okay, Andy?" Ashton asks with a concerned look, but I give him one look and he shrinks back. I immediately feel bad about it, but my guilt is quickly overshadowed by anger when I see John sit down at the head of the table, giving the step momster a quick kiss. I have to force myself not to gag at the sight.

Bianca sets down a fresh plate of waffles in front of me, and puts one on my plate without a word before she walks away. I look up to see her give me a quick, sympathetic smile, and I wonder if she heard the latest shouting match. I pick at my waffle in silence, ignoring Mason and the other guys' attempts to make conversation. Eventually the table grows quiet, but Jessica pipes up with a cheerful tone asking Mason and I. "So have either of you thought about what you wanted to do for your birthday? It is coming up soon after all."

"I haven't really thought about it that much." Mason hastily replies trying to be cheerful as he says, "It will be nice getting to celebrate it with Andy again. It's been awhile since we were able to do that."

I can't help but laugh bitterly as the topic only brings up bad memories and makes me even angrier, which draws the attention of everyone at the table. "Yeah, the last time we did was quite the doozy. Wouldn't you agree, John?" He says nothing in reply, just gives me a cold, warning look, but my blood is boiling too much to notice. "You remember that one? It was the birthday where you told Mom and Uncle Jamie that I had no chance of succeeding in the music industry and made that stupid deal with me. Now here we are--"

"Alexandria." He shouts in a warning tone, but I continue on as if I didn't hear him.

"--I'm nearly an adult, but you  _still_  treat me like a child. You still hold that stupid deal over my head every chance you get. So guess what, take it away. I don't  _care_  anymore. I'm sick and tired of being a pawn in your game, when I'm your  _daughter_  for goodness sake!" At this point I think nothing of the words coming out of my mouth, every syllable is pure, pent up rage finally being let free. I barely register it as I stand up while I continue to shout. "After this summer I'm going to prove to you that I can make it--with or without  _you_."

I march out of the dining room, but stop when I hear his cold voice shouting after me. "Alexandria, you can not just speak to me like that and walk away."

"Really?" I retort back with a sarcastic grin. "Because I thought that in this family we could just say or do whatever and leave with no consequences. Or does that rule only apply to you?" I don't wait for a reply as I turn on my heel and march up to my room. I slam the door, grabbing my duffel bag and shoving some clothes and other items into it.

I hear my door open, but I don't even bother to turn around to see who it is. I just keep shoving things in my bag when I feel a pair of strong arms wrap around me, pinning my arms down. I drop my duffel bag and my knees go weak as my anger transforms into all the pain I've held for so long. It washes over me like a tsunami and I feel like I'm drowning in my own tears and sobs. "Hey, I got you." Mason says as he turns me around to hug him. "I'm so sorry, Andy. I never realized how much pain you've been in all these years. I never really understood it, and I'm so--so sorry." I sit there as my big brother starts crumbling in my arms with me. "I feel like such an awful brother for not realizing it sooner."

"Mason, don't you dare start beating yourself up over this." I scold him as I pull away from the hug, making sure he listens to every word. "You never knew because I never actually said anything--to anyone. I never told anyone just how much I was hurting. Some people could tell, but most people don't understand how much and how long I've been feeling like this." I stand up, grabbing my duffel bag off the floor. "I'm sorry, Mason, but I have to leave. I can't stay here any longer."

"What are you talking about? You're going to leave?"

"Yes, I am. I can't handle being here for another minute. I'm calling a cab to drive me to the airport, and I'll book a flight home. You can just send me the rest of my stuff later." I tell him walking out of the room, not wanting to see his hurt expression. I run down the stairs, accidentally bumping into Michael, the other guys stand close by. "Excuse me," I apologize as I try to walk around him, but he grabs my shoulder to stop me.

"Andy, are you okay?" He asks, but his expression changes when he sees my duffel bag. "Are you leaving?"

"Maybe. It doesn't matter, just let me go."

"You can't just leave!" Calum shouts, much to my shock. I always had the impression he didn't like me.

"I can't stay here any longer. I'm sorry, guys. I really am." I tell them as I break away from Michael, trying to walk around him to the front door, but they all block my path. "Please, just let me go. I promise, I'll stay in--" I start to plead, but I'm interrupted by Mason shouting as he runs down the stairs. While I'm distracted, Luke pulls the duffel bag off my shoulder, dropping it on the floor behind him as he wordlessly wraps me in a tight hug.

"Andy, please, don't leave. At least, not yet." Luke whispers, and refuses to pull away as Mason starts to speak.

"I have an idea. Would you agree to just get out of town for a few days? We could all use a break, and you wouldn't have to deal with dad or anything else." Mason suggests, but I just shake my head. He narrows his eyes as he continues. "Don't you think you should talk to Mom before you go marching back home?"

"Why? So she can tell me that she's fine with me coming home, but she thinks it would be better for me if I stayed?"

"Yes. Mom knows a lot more than us. I think you should listen to whatever advice she has to offer and take a few days to cool off before you make a decision."

I sigh, realizing his logic is pretty sound, and it wouldn't hurt to take a few days away from everything to clear my head before I decide. "Fine. Where do you suggest we go?"

"I know the perfect place. Guys, you can come too if you want." Mason offers and they all nod their heads, solemnly. I'm sure they would much rather be out of here than stuck in this house after what just happened, even if it means putting up with me. Luke pulls away, but stands close by as the rest of the guys go upstairs to pack. "Okay, you can go pack. I'll go take care of everything else." Mason turns to me, giving me a quick hug as he whispers, "Thank you. I think this is something you really need right now." He pulls away from me, and walks away.

I pick my duffel bag up, and march back up the stairs with Luke close behind me to go apologize to the guys for earlier, and maybe explain the full story to them. I just hope they don't hate me after all of this.


	18. Chapter 18

I sit in the back of the van with Mason and the guys. I look at each of them in turn, and the guys patiently wait for me to talk. "Like I told you guys, I owe you an explanation about what happened back there. There's quite a bit about myself that I haven't told you, and just bare with me because this is a long, rollercoaster story." Ashton, Michael, Calum, and Luke all nod giving me a few curious looks. "So, as I'm sure you found out from my blow up back there--John is my dad, but we don't really get along. I'll get into that story in a moment, though." I sigh, explaining to them about how Mason is my twin, but I asked him not to say anything because I didn't want them to know about John.

"We figured you and Mason were more than just friends." Calum says from beside me with a chuckle. "Anyway, why don't you and John get along?"

"That's where things get complicated." I sigh, shrinking back in my seat as I relay the entire story to them, not leaving out a single, painful detail. "So, a couple days before school ended, he called my mom. He told her as part of the 'deal' I had to come out and work for Capitol Records over summer, which is why I'm even here in the first place. Honestly, if you guys hadn't nearly burned down your house, I don't think I would have made it through these last few weeks, and I'm sure that's what John intended when he had me start working with you guys. Anyway, there's a reason I finally lost it and blew up at him this morning."

"I was meaning to ask you about that? Did it have anything to do with him calling you into his office?" Mason asks looking back at me from the rearview mirror.

"Yeah, it had to do with that radio interview from yesterday." I call up to him, and the guys all look around confused about what the interview could have to do with me blowing up at my dad. "Let's just say he crossed a major line this morning." I take a deep breath, as I think about how to word this best. "He wanted me to date one of you guys to boost publicity for the upcoming single release and album. The worst part is he didn't care if it was real or not. He kept questioning if I liked one of you guys and told me how convenient it would be if I started to date one of you guys. Don't get me wrong, you guys are great, but I could never do that to anyone. I could never be in a relationship for the sole purpose of gaining publicity."

"Are you serious? He asked you to do that?" Mason practically shouts from the front seat, his knuckles turning white as he tightly grips the steering wheel. "That is wrong on so many levels."

"Yeah. When I told him 'no', he started waving the deal in my face. He kept telling me if I wanted a future in the industry, I would do it." I pause looking at the guys, making eye contact with Luke for a second longer than the others. "I could never do that to anyone--much less you guys. I would never forgive myself if I crossed someone like that."

"So, you put all of that on the line for  _us_?" Ashton asks, his face scrunched in confusion. "Why would you do that?"

"I didn't think of it as putting everything on the line. In my mind, it's was a chance to stand up to him, prove I don't need him to succeed, and stand up for my friends. The choice was easy." I tell them with a casual shrug. "I just don't know if I'll be able to stay here until the end of summer after all that."

"It's your choice, but if you stay, you won't be alone." Luke tells me with a smile, and I start to feel like maybe I should stay.

The car ride goes by in mostly silence, all of us too angry, tired, or submerged in our thoughts to speak. I eventually plug in my headphones and drift off to sleep without realizing it. It feels like hours pass by when I feel someone sit down next to me, but my eyelids are too heavy to see who it is. "Do you think she'll be okay?" Someone--Michael, I think--asks, and I can feel the person beside me shifting around.

Mason's voice echoes back, "I think so. She just needs some time, which is why I suggested we get out of town before she decides whether or not to leave." There's a pause before he continues. "She's been holding all of this in for a long time, and these past weeks haven't been easy for her. Hopefully, this trip will help things."

"I hope so too." Luke says from beside me, and I hear someone in front of us clear their throat.

"I need to ask you guys something, and be honest." Mason says from the front, the guys all chorus back 'okay's. "I'm not trying to justify anything, but I doubt my dad would have asked her about that if he didn't see something. So, do any of you like my sister?"

I don't hear anything, but I can tell Luke is shifting around in his seat. An uncomfortable silence settles over the group for a few minutes before Mason says. "Okay. That's all I needed to know. Thank you." My drowsy mind can't quite process what just happened, but I have a feeling I'll find out before too long.

"Andy, wake up." Someone says gently nudging my shoulder. I open my eyes to see Luke looking down on me. "We're here." He whispers as he climbs out of the van, and I follow after him. My feet hit the ground, but my legs nearly buckle underneath me from staying in the car for so long. Luke just chuckles as saves me from falling and offers me a hand to help me keep my balance.

"Where are we?" I ask, looking up at the grand hotel in front of us. "Why did Mason even bring us here?"

Luke just shrugs as we walk inside to meet up with everyone else. "I think Mason said we're in San Francisco, and that you both knew someone who worked at this place."

"Really? I don't think I know anyone in San--" I start to say, but quickly notice the guys all giving us a strange look. I follow their gaze to see that I'm still holding Luke's hand. "Oh, I forgot you were holding my hand to keep me from falling." I tell him awkwardly as we both let go. I walk up to the rest of the guys, ignoring their strange looks between Luke and I. "Where's Mason?"

"Right here." Mason calls from behind me, and I turn to see him and an all too familiar face.

"Phil?" I practically yell as I run towards my older brother, who quickly wraps me in a tight hug.

"Hey, Ducky." Phil chuckles as he squeezes me and picks me up off the ground. "How come it takes dad forcing you to Cali and you two getting in a fight for me to see you?" He jokingly scolds me as he sets me down

"Because, I love New York much more than California. Why have you never come visit Mom and I?"

"I'll give you that one, but it's mostly because I live for my work here." He tells me with a shrug.

"Which is what exactly?"

"Event coordinator, publicist, and co-manager." Phil recites with a look of pride. "Now,-" He pauses, throwing an arm around my shoulder as he faces the band. "-which one of you seems to think you're allowed to date my baby sister?"

I feel my cheeks burn as I try to protest, but Phil won't let me say anything, even Mason won't help me out. The guys all look at each other for a moment, clearly confused. "Phil, calm down. I'm not dating any of them."

"You don't have to stand up for your boyfriend, Andy. I'm sure he knew this was bound to happen at some point." Phil tries to be serious as he talks, but fails miserably when he starts laughing. "I'm sorry, I just had to see her face when I did that." Phil jokes and he introduces himself to each of the guys. "I was able to get you the penthouse suite, which is the whole top floor and has three bedrooms, despite the short notice,  _and_  the hotel would like to extend to you the use of all our facilities, as an Thank you for staying with us." He says acting professional for a moment.

"You've done more than enough. Thank you." Luke says stepping forward as he shakes Phil's hand.

Phil just laughs, turning to me for a moment to whisper, "I like this one." I just roll my eyes at him as he continues talking to Luke and the others. "It's no big deal. Honestly, management was so excited to have you staying here that they will probably bend over backwards to make you happy."

"Andy, will you come with me while I unload the bags and park the car?" Mason asks, silently telling me we need to talk.

We walk out to the car, and I impatiently wait for Mason to start talking. "What's up?"

"I just want to be sure, you're okay." He pauses as he waits for me to reply, but I can tell there's something else.

"I've been better, but I get the feeling that's not the whole reason you brought me out here."

"Okay, maybe there's something else you should know." He pauses, running a hand through his hair. "I wanted to talk to you about what dad asked you earlier."

"Is this about me and one of the guys? Because I don't think I like any of them in that way."

"Andy, you're my baby sister, so I need you to understand that I say this with all the love in the world." I just nod, unsure of where this is going. "I can't say anything for sure, but I think one of the guys might like you, which is why he asked you to do that."

"I highly doubt that, but where is this going?" I question him, wanting to him to get to the point.

"What I'm trying to say is-I don't want you to not keep yourself open to possibilities, and not do something just to spite dad."

"That's what you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Yes. I know, but I know you. To be honest, I just want to see you happy. So from now on, screw whatever dad says and make sure  _you're_  happy. Can you promise me that?"

"Fine, I promise I will do my best." I tell him, and he smiles as he pulls me into a hug. "Now let's get these bags inside."

I can't help but smile and laugh as the guys all run around the suite. "Will you quit jumping on the bed?!" I shout at them in between laughter.

"Never!" Michael shouts as he jumps down and pulls me onto the bed. "Come on, Andy! Join us!"

I try to refuse, but Ashton grabs my hands, forcing me to jump with him. "You're all idiots!" I shout as I start jumping with them.

"You're doing it with us! So does that mean you're an idiot too?" Michael questions.

"Yes, it does." I laugh, but we all lose our balance and fall on the bed laughing. "I just realized. There's only 5 rooms. How are we going to split up?"

"Well, I'm sure we can all split up, and you and Mason can figure something out."

I scrunch up my nose, not wanting to share a room with Mason or make him sleep on the couch. "I'll just sleep in the living room."

"So what should we do for the rest of the day?" Ashton asks as we're all still lying on the bed, far too lazy to get up.

"I vote we just chill and have a movie night. We could order pizza."

"Sounds good to me. Let's go get the other guys together. We can order and pick a movie."

"I call to pick the movie!" I call as I run into the living room, but I hear people yell 'no!' from every part of the suite.

"Aw, come on! You know I pick the best movies!" I call as I fall onto the couch next to Luke. "Don't I, Luke?" I ask him with a laugh.

"If you say so, Andy." He tells me with a smile, as he puts an arm over the back of the couch.

"What? Didn't you like the movie I picked last time?"

Luke bites his lip to keep from laughing. "It was-okay." He tells me, and I feign hurt. Luke and I banter back and forth like that, but stop for a moment when Calum walks in looking between us both with a strange look. "What are you looking at, Calum?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all." I give him a withering glare, but he walks out of the room giving Luke a quick wink as he leaves.

"Why did he wink at you?" I ask as I stretch out on the couch. Luke just stutters, and I laugh. "Yeah, he wasn't exactly discreet about it."

"I don't know, I think he has the idea that we like each other or something crazy like that."

My stomach feels strange, and I have to keep a smile from appearing. "That's not crazy. Although, I do wonder where he got that idea." I pause as I notice the tinge of pink in his cheeks and his avoiding eye contact. "Oh, well. What do you want to watch?" I ask him, changing the subject. I look up and notice him staring at me, and for a moment we look at each other in silence.

"Whatever is fine with me." He says after a moment, and I flip onto a random channel. "I wanted to ask you something." He tells me facing me on the couch.

"Shoot."

"So Phil the guy we met earlier is your older brother?" I nod in reply as he continues. "Do you mind if I ask why he called you 'ducky'?"

"Oh, trust me, you don't want to hear that story." I tell him as I try to turn back to the show we were watching, but he insists. I sit up with a sigh. "Fine, but I need you to promise you won't laugh."

"I promise." He tells me leaning forward in anticipation.

"This is so embarrassing." I whine, putting my face over my hands, but Luke pulls them away. "You  _really_  want to hear this story don't you?" I question, but he quickly nods his head in excitement. "Okay, so my oldest brother, Phil, had this little stuffed duck that my uncle gave him as a toddler. He was obsessed with it, and when Nico was born, Phil passed it on, and so forth. Over the years, it kind of became a family thing. All of us carried around this stuffed duck around as kids.

"Mason never even had a chance to hold the duck. I ended up with it from day one, and I would not let it go without going completely nuts. Anyway, long story short, 'ducky' was my first word and when Nico jokingly called me that, it just stuck. After that everything from my brothers became duck themed for me. They use it mostly as a joke, but also as a way to cheer me up."

I look at Luke to see him holding back a laugh. "That's not embarrassing, it's adorable. I just have a hard time imagining you carrying around a stuffed duck."

"What about you and your rumored 'penguin' obsession?"

"Penguins can be punk rock!" He shouts back jokingly.

"If penguins can be punk rock, than so can ducks!" I tell him and we both double over in laughter. "So what about you? Any embarrassing childhood stories you can share to even the score?"

"Let me think..." He 'ponders' as he strokes an imaginary beard. "I have one." He pipes up, and we lose track of time as we tell each other stories from our childhood. Eventually the boys, join in and we all laugh at each other, rolling around laughing. I occasionally catch Luke looking at me, and each time I get this strange, goofy feeling. Soon, I start to ask myself,  _could I be falling for Luke? Or am I just overthinking this feeling?_

My thoughts are interrupted by Mason shouting, "Pizza is here!" We all sit around eating dinner, but I keep quiet unable to stop wondering if maybe I'm starting to fall for Luke.


	19. Chapter 19

I stretch my arms out with a yawn and almost laugh when I notice the guys all scattered across the floor, still out cold. Even though we did nothing but talk and watch movies, I'm sure they'll be asleep for quite a while, so I decide to go out for a bit. I find my duffel bag in one of the rooms, walking into the bathroom to quickly slip on some workout clothes, recalling Phil talking about a workout room.

I scribble down a note and leave it on the coffee table, trying not to step on or wake up anyone. My tennis shoes squeak against the polished floor, and I repeatedly turn back to make sure I didn't wake anyone up. 

I take the elevator downstairs, and before I even realize it, I find myself lost in a maze of hallways, unable to find the fitness room and too proud to ask for directions. Eventually I find it, smiling to myself when I notice they have a punching bag and other training equipment I like to use.

I slide on my arm band and a pair of my light gloves as I start to work out, punching the bag to the beat of the music. I continue to hit the bag, only stopping occasionally to steady the swaying bag. "Need someone to spot you?" I hear someone say as they place a hand on my shoulder. Unfortunately for them, my reflexes kick in before I can even process it. "I'm glad I remembered how you react, ducky." Phil laughs as he shakes his head at me.

"Sorry. It's just a reflex, I can't always stop it in time." I tell him apologetically. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard someone talking about a girl with blue hair wandering around. So I figured I would try to help you out, but I see you found what you were looking for."  
  


"Yeah, I got a bit lost back there." I tell him as I pull off my gloves. "I'm surprised this place has all of this equipment." I tell him as I put my gloves to the side, and move on to another section.

"We have a vast range of people stay here, sometimes for quite a while. The hotel realized it helped to have more options than just weights and treadmills. It was one of my better ideas." He tells me with a look of pride.

"Do you still box?" I ask him, remembering how he was the one who sparked my interest in the first place. "Or did you give that up when you became a suit?" I tease him, pointing to his dress shirt and jacket.

"I still do. It's just not as often as I would like." He shrugs, but his phone rings before he can say anything else. "Well, duty calls. I'll see you later, ducky." Phil tells me ruffling my hair.

"See ya." I reply, swatting his hand away. I end up running on the treadmill for a bit, but quickly end my workout, when other people start to come into the room. I take the elevator back up to the suite, and walk inside to see all of the guys crowded in the living room too deep in conversation to notice me. I walk into the kitchen grabbing a glass and filling it with water. "I just don't want her getting hurt." I can hear Mason say from the living room, but I try my best not to eavesdrop. "Honestly, I think all of our concerns should be on convincing her to stay. The whole reason I suggested this trip was to change her mind about leaving." I bite my lip as I linger just out of view.

"How are we supposed to do that?" I hear Ashton ask.

"We need to show her how much we want and need her to stay. We have to give her a good reason  _not_  to leave. Something better than not facing  _John_." Michael says, the disdain dripping from his voice as he says my dad's name.

"Exactly, but how are we supposed to do that?" Calum asks and I can hear the frustration in his voice. I lean against the wall as I start to realize how much these guys must care, and how much I would miss them if I did leave.

"I don't think, you guys won't have to worry about it." I tell them walking into the room, and they all turn to me looking worried. "I'm not entirely sure if I'm going to leave. It's still a possibility, but either way, I have to face this at some point. I just don't know when I'll be ready for it." I sigh and feel the pressure building up behind my eyes.

"Don't worry, Andy." Mason says as he and the guys all sit around me. "We're going to stay here for a bit, and when we leave, we'll help you get through everything."

"I know, and I appreciate it." I tell them with a soft smile. "Can we just not worry about all of this? I'd rather not think about anything while we're here, and enjoy our time away."

"Sounds great! What were you wanting to do?" Mason asks, and I shrug.

"I'm fine with just a chill day, or if you want to figure somewhere to go that's fine with me. I'm going to take a shower and get ready." I tell them as I walk away. I quickly take my shower, putting on my usual band tee and a pair of black denim shorts. "Have you guys decided on anything?" I yell as I walk back into the living room, using a towel to dry my hair.

"Yeah. How does touring the city sound?" Ashton asks bouncing up and down excitedly.

"Sounds fine to me. I've never seen San Francisco before." I tell them, pulling on my converse. "Wait, aren't you guys worried about being spotted by fans?"

"If we do, than we'll figure something out." Luke casually shrugs as we walk out the door.

"Alright. Don't blame me if we get mobbed." I sing-song as we take the elevator to the lobby. "Look! There's an ice cream shop! Let's go." I shout as I grab onto someone's hand, pulling them along with me.

"ICE CREAM!" Michael shouts, as we run down the street practically screaming.

"You--two--run--too--fast." Mason says, leaning on his knees and breathing deeply in between his words.

"Nothing keeps me from ice cream." I tell them seriously, and Michael nods high fiving me with his free hand. "Oooh. I know what I want!" I say as I continue to drag Michael along with me and the boys all follow us. "Sorry, I forgot I was still holding your hand." I tell Michael with a laugh, as I order my ice cream.

We end up sitting at a large table outside. "Why on earth did you get coconut ice cream?" Ashton laughs at me, but I just shrug.

"What about you? Why did you get strawberry? Who even gets fruit flavored ice cream?" I tease him, but he just shakes his head and gives me a playful shove. I look beside me to see Mason giving me a devilish grin. "Don't you dare, Mason. I promise if you do--" I don't get a chance to finish before he pushes the ice cream cone into my forehead. I glare at Mason, but he's too busy laughing to notice.

I turn to Michael, who keeps slapping the table as he laughs. "You looked like a unicorn!"

"Really?" I taunt him as I push his ice cream cone to his face. "Now, you look like one too." I laugh along with the rest of them.

"No! Wait, let me take a picture of the unicorns." Calum says as he whips out his phone. "I'm totally posting that." He laughs as he shows us the pictures.

"We really do look like unicorns with our colorful hair and all." I laugh shaking my head at them. "Come on, let's keep going."

We only made it a couple blocks before we heard someone scream in front of us. "Really? We made it all day and  _now_  this happens?" Michael asks, as the fan approaches us. "I don't have a problem with fans, but I'm just hoping everyone doesn't find us."

Unfortunately, Michael spoke far too soon. One fan did find us, and thanks to twitter so did about fifty other, who all wanted autographs and pictures. Now, these weren't the calm, cool, collected fans who waited and kindly asked the guys; there were only a handful of those. The rest of them? Were the crazy fan-girls. Before we could do anything, everyone is crowding around us, screaming.

I feel someone's hand slip into mine and quickly pull me along. The other guys scatter too, and we all force our way out of the mob, running as quickly as we can to get away from the suffocating screams. "In here." Ashton shouts as we turn down a corner and hide inside a small shop. "That was  _close_." He sighs, as we catch our breath.

"I wonder how they found us." I comment, but Ashton and I both realize how at the exact same time. "Calum." We say in sync. "Fans must have scene the picture, and--sure enough he left his location tag on."

"Well, I guess it means we'll have to lay low and find a way to meet up with everyone later." He says with a shrug. "Do you want to head back or would you rather look around for a bit?"

"I think we should stay for a bit. I'd rather stay here instead of getting stuck in another mob again." I tell him as we walk through the small, hipster clothing store. "Wow. I guess we're seeing the true California." I joke with him, as we walk around the shop.

"It's a little bit scary." He jokes as he holds up what looks like a shirt.

"Can I help you with anything?" A girl with a perfect tan and dark brown hair asks us, looking us up and down judgmentally. "You don't look like this is exactly your style." She continues with a smirk. "Although, I do have to admit, you're an adorable couple."

"Oh, weren't not." I stutter, but she just raises her eyebrows looking down at our intertwined hands before walking away with a smug look. "What is it with me and forgetting I'm holding people's hand?" I ask jokingly as I shake my head.

"I forgot about it too." He tells me with a strained smile as he quickly lets go. "Come on, let's see what other shops they have around here."

"Are you sure we shouldn't head back soon?"

"Yeah, but for now we can keep exploring. " He stutters, rubbing the back of his neck, and I feel like he's hiding something from me. We walk up and down the block, trying our best to blend in. "I think we were found again." Ashton mutters as he pulls me along into a small alley.

"Are you sure? I don't see anyone." I whisper as I try to look around the street, but Ashton won't let me.

"I'm not sure, but they looked like some of the girls from earlier." He pauses looking out on the street. "Maybe I was mistaken." He shrugs but refuses to leave the alley. "Can I ask you something?"

I look up at him, confused as to where he could be going with this. "Y-yeah, I guess."

"Do you—Is there--" he pauses stumbling over his words. "—I mean, do you think we should head back soon?" He breaks eye contact with me, and I get the feeling that wasn't what he wanted to ask. I just nod, making some comment about the coast being clear before we walk back out onto the street and back towards the hotel.

My phone starts buzzing in my pocket and I quickly pull it out and answer it. "Hey. What's up?" Ashton gives me a strange look, and I mouth Luke back to him. I pretend not to notice the small smile that creeps across his face.

"Hey, where are you? Are you okay? Do you need one of us to come get you?" He asks rapidly and I can hear the worry in his voice as the other guys all chatter in the background.

"Umm. About 10 minutes walk from the ice cream shop, I think? I don't know. We got a bit turned around trying to escape the hoard."

"Text me where you are when you find out. Mason and a couple of the guys are starting to get worried."

"Luke, tell them to chill out. I'm with Ashton and we'll be on our way back soon." Ashton turns to me at the mention of his name and leans in to join the conversation.

"Ash is with you?" Luke asks, his tone changing, as he continues. "Can you put him on for a second?"

"Sure." I reply, handing my phone over to Luke.

"Hey, Luke." Ashton says into the phone, and keeps glancing at me while he listens. "I don't know." He starts to say, but quickly drops his voice to a whisper. "Dude, I can't talk about this right now." Another pause and then. "Okay, we'll be back soon. Bye."

"What was that about?" I ask giving him a strange look, but he just ignores it as he starts relaying directions back to the hotel. When we make it back to the suite, Mason and Luke bombard me with questions, and I just roll my eyes. "Guys, I'm fine. Ash and I just got a little bit sidetracked and lost. Now if you'll excuse me, I promised to Skype my friends this afternoon." I lie retreating to Mason's room. I text Skylar and Danny, requesting an emergency girl talk, knowing I need to talk to  _someone_  about the concept of me developing feeling for Luke. Although, I hope that's not what's happening. I know I have to talk to someone about it, especially because it's only getting worse the more we hang out.

"Okay, what's wrong?" Danny asks the moment she appears on screen. "You  _never_  request a girl talk. So what's up that you can't talk to the guys about?"

"Ditto." Skylar asks, obviously trying to analyze me through the screen.

"This may sound strange, but hypothetically how do you know if you're starting to like someone as more than a friend?" I questioning, trying to keep it vague.

"Wait... Who are you crushing on?" Skylar practically shouts and I scramble to turn down the volume as I try to find my headphones.

"Skye," Danny scolds the fiery red-head. "Don't be so pushy. I'm sure Andy is going to tell us everything in a minute. Right?"

"Yeah, sure." I tell them uncomfortably shifting around. "Can you at least answer my question?"

"Honey, it's hard to give you a direct answer. It's more of a situation where we have to hear the story to give you an honest reply." Danny says with a sympathetic look.

"Okay. I'll tell you the whole story. Just let me make sure no one can hear me first." I tell them as I quickly peak out the door to see all the guys eating and playing FIFA. "Alright, we're good." I tell the sitting back down.

"Spill, now." Skylar demands.

"Fine, but I'm not giving you a name." I sigh, running a hand through my hair. "I don't really know what's happening, but you've heard all the rumors about me dating one of the guys." They both nod waiting for me to continue, and I tell them the full story about what happened with my dad leading up to how we got here. "So a couple days before all of this happened, I was playing truth or dare with the guys. It's childish I know, but as a  _dare_  one of them kissed me."

"Wait. You kissed one of the aussies?!" Danny shouts a smile spreading across her face, and a moment later Damian runs in looking worried. "Don't worry about it, babe. We're just having a girl talk with Andy." I can see her give him a stern look saying, "No. You can talk to her later. I promise." She tells him and quickly ushers him out of the room so I can continue.

"Yes. It was just a dare, but ever since then, I keep getting this weird feeling around him. I mean we talked afterward, and we both agreed it was just a dare. I just feel weird around him now."

"Weird as in?" Skylar asks smiling like a dork.

"I don't really know..." I pause trying to articulate the bundle of emotions inside me. "It's like things are different. I'm seeing him in a different way, and sometimes I get this weird feeling in my stomach, or I blush for no reason, or I even start getting really nervous around him, which never happened before."

Danny and Skylar both look at each other knowingly. "Andy, babe. I hate to break it to you, but it sounds like you're falling for him."

"No, that's impossible! He's my friend. Plus with everything going on I can't start falling for someone."

Skylar just laughs at me and Danny give me a sad look. "Andy, your heart doesn't care about your fights with your dad or that he's your friend. Your emotions aren't just a switch you can flip on and off."

"Admit it, Andy. You're falling for him, whichever one he may be." Skylar says with a small laugh.

"This isn't funny, Skye, this is my life." I almost shout at her. "I can't deal with this right now. I can barely deal with my normal life, much less all of this at once." I ramble feeling my chest tighten with anxiety.

"Breathe." Danny directs me, and she offers some encouragement. "I wish there was some sage wisdom I could offer, but all I can say is, 'listen to your heart.' You deserve to be happy, Andy. You can't deny your feelings forever, and pushing them aside will only hurt you and him more in the end."

"But what if I'm not ready for a relationship?" I whisper on the verge of tears.

"If you're not ready for a relationship, than I can guarantee you any decent guy would be willing to wait for you. That's what Damian did. He asked me out for  _months_  before I got over my ex and was ready for a serious relationship, and look at us now."

"Gee, thanks. Rub in your perfect relationship, why don't you?" I tease, but she just rolls her eyes at me.

"It's not perfect. It takes work." She tells me.

"What if he doesn't like me back?" I ask feeling a lump in my throat at the idea.

"Than he's not worth it." Skylar replies bluntly, shrugging off Danny's criticism. "I'm just being honest."

"Either way, you need to talk to him at some point, Andy. It doesn't have to be soon, but it does need to happen."

"Should I wait to see if maybe he likes me back first? I don't want to ruin our friendship because of it."

"If that's what you feel more comfortable with, than do that. Just make sure you talk to him at some point. Okay?"

"Okay." I pause, smiling at the two of them. "Thank you. I don't know what I would do without you guys." They just smile at me and accept the praise. "Oh, and please, don't tell anyone about this. Especially the guys, I don't want them or Mason knowing. Well, I don't want anyone except for you two knowing."

"Of course. We won't tell a soul." Skylar promises as she crosses her heart.

"I promise. Now get some rest, Andy. You sound like you could use it." Danny tells me, and I know she means it with all the love in the world.

"I will." I smile back at them, saying a quick goodbye before I head back into the living room. I crash on the couch in between Ashton and Michael in a conscious effort to avoid Luke for a bit.

"Good talk with your friends?" Mason asks, not looking away from the screen.

"Yeah. I guess it was a good talk after all." I tell him with a smile, but I start to wonder if my head and heart will ever figure this mess out.


	20. Chapter 20

I lay out my towel down in the sand, admiring the view of our secluded spot of beach. "I still can't believe we're the only ones here." I laugh contentedly as I sit down on my towel and bury my feet in the warm, golden sand. I look beside me to notice Michael putting his towel down next to mine. "You're not going in the water with the rest of them?" I question nodding to the group jokingly shoving each other into the ocean.

"Not right now." Michael replies with a shrug. "Can you believe we've already been here for nearly a week?"

I just shake my head at him as I think over the past few days. "No, I can't. It's felt so much shorter than that." I lie to him. Truthfully, it's felt like an eternity since I started avoiding Luke. Luckily, I didn't have to be drastic about it, I just hung out with the other guys or always had someone else in the room if Luke was there. "I'm glad for this trip. I feel like I've gotten a lot closer with everyone."

"Even Luke?" Michael asks, and I quickly look at him with surprise. "Oh, come on, Andy. It's not like I haven't noticed you avoiding him."

"I'm not avoiding anyone." I state pulling out a book out of my bag.

"You're not getting out of this that easily." Michael laughs snatching the book from me. "We all know you've been avoiding him. Except for Luke, he knows something's up, but he can't figure out what, and neither can I."

"Nothing is up." I insist, trying to grab my book back from him, but he jumps up keeping it just out of reach. "Whatever. I'm not having this conversation right now." I tell him angrily as I pull off my cover-up and head down to the the water.

"Andy, I'm not going to tell anyone. I just want to make sure you're okay." Michael says as he runs up behind me and grabs his arm. "Everyone's getting worried about you thinking we did something wrong."

"Michael, I'm not talking to you about this right now. Not with everyone around at least."

"So will you tell me later? If no one is around?" I nod, and he nods. "Okay, we'll talk about it later. I'm not trying to push you, but you're one of us now. I want to make sure you're all right."

"Thanks, Michael." I tell him with a small smile, and he pulls me into a hug. I hear Michael laughing when he lets go and keeps looking over my shoulder. Just as I'm about to turn around, I feel arms wrap around my waist, as someone lifts me up. "Oh, no! Don't you dare throw me in the--" I start to yell, but I'm tossed in the water before I can finish my sentence. I surface out of the water, my blue hair covering my face as everyone laughs. The moment they see my expression, everyone goes quiet. "Who did that?" I laugh trying to seem angry. No one speaks up, but I get my answer when Calum tries running away. "Calum Hood, get your butt back here."

Calum stops in his tracks wiggling his eyebrows at me as he says, "Oh, Andy, I didn't realize you noticed my butt."

"I didn't. I just said that to get you to stop running." I laugh as I tackle him and he falls in the water. A chorus of laughs erupt as Calum comes back up with a mop of wet hair. "Now, we're even." I tell him with a grin as I hold my hands up.

"Not even by a long shot." Calum laughs as he tries to splashes me, but hits Ashton beside me instead. Before we even realize it, a war starts, all of us trying to splash the others or dunk them into the ocean.

Everyone quickly learns that I'm notorious for tripping people or sneaking up behind them and splashing them right in the face. Unfortunately, when they catch on my plot is foiled. I start to sneak up behind Ashton. Right as I'm about to tackle him, I feel someone grab my arms and pin them at my side. "Gotcha!" Luke screams picking me up. "No more sneak attacks for you!" He shouts as he takes me to shore.

"Whattt? Whyyy?" I whine as he sets me back down.

"Because." He replies smartly, and I roll my eyes at him.

"Fine. Than I'm just going to go read my book." I shrug as I walk away with a smirk.

"Wait, is that a--?" I hear Luke ask, and I turn around to see him pointing at me.

"A what?" I ask, although I'm pretty sure I know what he's talking about, despite my effort to cover it up.

"Do you have a tattoo?" Michael asks having noticed it to.

"Oh, yeah." I tell them with a shrug and casually walking away. I can hear them both follow me back up the beach. "You could just ask me what it is instead of creepily staring." I turn around catching them in the act.

"What is it? Also, aren't you still 17? How did you get a tattoo without being 18?" Michael asks, him and Luke wait for me to reply.

"It's a rose, and if you must know, I got it done with my mom's permission about four months ago." I lay back on my towel, but prop myself on my elbows when I notice they're still waiting for me to continue. "I found a shop that does no needle tattoos and can give you one if you're within six months of eighteen and have a parent's permission."

"Why did you get a rose?" Luke asks, as he takes a seat on Michael's blanket.

I lay back down on my blanket, slipping my sunglasses on as I talk. "It's for my grandma, Roslyn. She died almost a year ago, and I got it to remind me of her. She always used to tell me, 'je t'aime, et je veillerai toujours sur toi, Alexandrie.' It means, I love you, and I'll always watch over you, Alexandria. I have part of it written underneath the rose." I pause, biting my lip and am thankful for the sunglasses as I hold back tears at the thought of her. "Gosh, I miss her, as crazy as she could be."

"What was she like?" Michael asks, taking a seat next to Luke, and I sit back up.

"Well, let me think. She was an extraordinary woman, and she inspired me to be who I am today." I laugh for a moment as I think on my memories of her. "Oh, but she was unique to say the least. If you had met her, you would have no idea she was a grandma. Unless you knew me, than it would be obvious whose grandma she was. I remember she used to make me play her  _all_  of my songs. I used complain about it, telling her she wouldn't like it, but she made me play for her anyway.

"The first time she made me play a song for her, she argued with me telling me that if I was happy making this music it was part of her job as my grandma to hear it." I look up at them to see them listening to every word I'm saying. "Oh, and whenever she got mad, she would shout in any foreign language she started speaking in first, which was usually French. I remember when I started learning it in high school, I didn't tell her so I could try to translate what she was saying without her knowing. The expression on her face when I replied back in English was priceless. After that, she would start spouting off song lyrics in French to throw me off."

"Are you talking about Grandma Malloy?" Mason asks, and I jump not realizing he was there. I nod, and he sits down smiling. "She was a character. What brought her up?"

"Oh, Andy has a tat--" Michael starts to say, but I pull down my sunglasses and glare at him.

Unfortunately, Mason caught enough of it to put the pieces together. "You have a tattoo?" He asks, looking at me with shock.

"Andy has a tattoo? Sweet." Calum says high-fiving me as him and Ashton join the group.

"Yeah, just the one." I tell them with a shrug, telling them what it is, which causes a long conversation about tattoos. "Yeah, I was planning on trying out some different designs I came up with and placements with some temporary tattoos I found. They're supposed to last for a couple weeks, so it will be cool." I tell them.

"Wait, you came up with designs?" Calum asks.

"Yeah, I have a bad habit of drawing on myself when I get bored, so I started messing around with some ideas a while ago." I reply with a shrug.

"That's awesome. Maybe you could design something for one of us?" Ashton question with an excited smile.

"Maybe. We'll have to wait and see." I reply, before the topic changes and I end up talking to Luke and Michael. I try to avoid eye contact with Luke, but fail miserably which only makes things awkward.

"Hey, Andy. The tide's going out of you still wanted to explore the other side of the rocks." Michael tells me giving me a look as he drags me along by the hand.

"What are you doing? I don't remember wanting to explore the other side of the rocks." I tell him as he continues to drag me along.

"No, but you did promise to tell me what's going on." Michael says turning on me once we're out of the group's view. "Also, I couldn't take any more of awkwardness back there. So spill." He takes a seat on the rock, but I start pacing back and forth too anxious to stay still.

"I don't—I don't even know where to start." I sigh, running a hand through my tangled, blue hair.

"How about why you've been avoiding Luke most of this week?"

"Umm." I mumble, looking away. "Do you remember when we played truth or dare? And you guys made Luke kiss me?"

"Yeah." Michael replies drawing the word out.

"Well, after that, Luke and I talked because I wanted to make sure things wouldn't get awkward and we could still be friends like normal." I pause shifting my weight around as I try to figure out how to explain it all. "It's just, I think I might be—fallingforLuke." I mumble and it all come out in one word.

"What?" Michael almost shouts with a dork smile on his face. "How did that--? When did you realize?"

"I didn't. I'm not even sure if I really  _do_  like him..." I continue to ramble. "But when we talked after the dare and we both agreed it was nothing more, I felt kind of disappointed. Then the whole thing with John happened, and the more time I spend around Luke the more I get all flustered, and nervous, and I feel different around him, and I'm always blushing for no reason!" I shout, but stop as I sit down next to Michael putting my head in my hands. "It's all just a big mess now. So I've been avoiding Luke to not make it worse."

"Why would it be a mess?" Michael questions pulling my hands away from my face. "Luke likes you too. He likes you way more than he'll admit, which is why we dared him to own up to it and kiss you."

"Michael! That is literally the worst thing you could have said to me right now." I shout at him as I pull away from him. "That's exactly what I didn't need to hear. I needed you to tell me that he only sees me as a friend, or that he could never like me in that way."

"Why? I thought you said you liked him. So why would him liking you back be a problem? You two would make a great couple!"

"I do like him, that's the whole problem. I just don't want to hurt him."

"Do you not want to hurt him? Or do you not want to get yourself hurt?" He questions as if he could read my mind.

"Both."

"Andy, I don't get how you or him could get hurt. Even if you did, wouldn't it be worth the chance?"

"No. Because if I tell him how I feel and we start a relationship than John will use it to his advantage, Luke will realize I'm not the person he thinks I am, or I'll end up pushing him away. Someone  _always_  gets hurt. I don't think I'm ready to dive into a relationship with him. I don't want to ruin my friendship with you guys." I try to explain, but Michael looks at me clearly not buying a word I say. "Fine. You want to know the whole truth?" I whisper, and he just nods in reply.

"I'm scared." I continue to speak, my voice growing louder with every word. "I, Andy "tough girl" Parker, am beyond frightened. Okay? I'm scared that if I open up I'll get gutted again, but this time I won't be able to come back from it. I'm terrified to let anyone get close enough to hurt me. I'm scared of the idea that someone could actually see the real me, much less love me for it. I'm so scared of being shattered with no one but myself to blame—just like last time." I feel a tear fall down my cheek and my throats tightens up as my breathing becomes shallow.

"Come here." Michael directs as he pulls me into a tight hug. "I know, Luke. He's one of my best mates, and over the past couple weeks I've gotten to know you too. I don't think Luke could ever hurt you, and what happened with John wasn't  _your_  fault. It was  _his_." He pauses, looking me in the eyes as he continues. "Also, I think you're a lot more ready for a relationship that you want to believe. Give Luke a chance to prove himself, and if you get hurt again, you have all of us. It wouldn't be your fault. Just like it wasn't your fault with John."

"It doesn't feel that way." I mumble into his shirt as my breathing steadies out.

"Okay, than tell me something. How do you feel when you're around John?"

"Like I'm worthless, stupid, and not even with fighting for. I feel like I could scream and never be heard. He makes me feel so small, and I don't even exist."

"And how do you feel around Luke?"

I sigh, thinking it over. "I feel like myself. I feel free and don't have to put up a front. When I'm around him, I can talk about anything. It's like he listens to me, more than I realize. It's nice, and comfortable, and easy..." Michael just stands back, smirking as I talk. "Dang it. I really am falling for him aren't I?"

"Yeah, I think you are."

"And I don't think it's the cute rom-com kind of fall where I graciously tumble into his arms either. This is more of a first time in heels, nearly face plant on the cement kind of fall." I gripe. "What if I'm not ready for a relationship yet? I feel like I should sort a couple things out before I do anything."

"Whatever you say. I'm just glad you finally admit you liked him. Now you two just have to admit it to each other."

"Don't even mention that part yet. I'm still processing the fact that I like him." I shake my head with a laugh. I pull him into a hug. "Thank you, Michael. Everyone I talked to kept telling me the same thing, but thanks for helping me get it through my own head."

"Not a problem. It's what friends are for." He tells me with a laugh. "Come on, let's get back before they start getting curious." I nod as we head back to the group.

_Okay, heart and mind. You two start cooperating, because it's about to get crazy. It's time to face it and attempt to be honest with yourself, and maybe, just maybe, give yourself a chance._


	21. Chapter 21

"Did you guys find anything interesting?" Ashton asks Michael and I when we make it back.

"Nope. Just some empty tide pools." I tell them with a casual shrug, as I sit down to stare at the horizon with everyone else. "It's almost sunset." I whisper to myself, a small smile creeps onto my face. I turn to Mason, "Can we stay just a little bit longer. I really want to watch the sun set."

"I don't know. It's kind of late, and I'm sure everyone wants to get back." Mason sighs as he bundles up the stuff, but the guys all contradict him saying they want to stay. I look up at my brother with pleading eyes, knowing he always falls for it. "Fine. We can stay for a little while longer." He sighs as he drops the stuff on the ground, and all of us cheer.

I bury my feet in the warm sand as we watch the sun fade into the ocean. "I wish this day could have lasted for a little while longer." I sigh, leaning my head on someone's shoulder. I feel them tense up, but quickly take a deep breath and relax after a moment.

"Y-yeah, me too." Luke replies. "Just think of it this way, we still have a whole month of summer left ahead of us."

"That's true, but it won't be the same when we go back." I sigh.

"How so?" Luke asks looking at me with a tinge of worry.

"You guys will be busy finishing the album, and I'll be back to feeling miserable around John, while I'm constantly running errands. Things won't be so simple and fun. I'm not ready for it to go back to how it was."

"Not necessarily." I look up at him as he continues. "Things can still be fun. It might just take a bit of effort, but not everything has to change."

"Promise?" I ask him hopefully and he wraps his arm around my shoulder comfortably.

"I promise, and if you need me to, I'll even try to keep John away."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Hemmings." I chuckle at him, putting my head back on his shoulder. We watch the sun disappear and the stars take its place before Mason ushers us back toward the car. "Or on our backs under the stars, as we sing--as we sing. What's another night on mars, with friends like ours anywhere is home." I quietly sing as we walk to the van.

"Are you singing the Maine?" Calum asks me with a small laugh. I just nod my head in reply as I sting louder and he joins in.

"So you like the Maine, huh?" I turn to ask Calum as Mason starts driving us back to the hotel.

"I've liked them ever since Luke showed me their music."

"Luke?!" I shout at the blond as I jokingly hit him. "You never told me you liked the Maine!"

"You never asked." He drowsily shrugs.

"Really? So countless conversations about music doesn't count?" I sass back in reply.

"Good point." He laughs leaning back in his seat, and the rest of the car ride I continually catch him looking at me.

"What are you looking at?" I tease him when he takes a moment to look away.

"You." He replies with a smirk.

"Oh, okay. Thanks for clearing that up." I tell him as I roll my eyes.

"Oh my gosh! Will the flirting never end?" Michael groans from behind us, shooting me a wink.

"Luke, stop flirting with my baby sister." Mason pretends to scold Luke, but he starts laughing halfway through his sentence.

Neither Luke nor I say anything. I face out the window hoping no one will see me blushing. "Andy's blushing. Andy's blushing." Ashton sing-songs from the front seat.

"Shut up, Ashton." I laugh shaking my head.

"She really is! Did we make THE Andy Parker blush?!" Calum practically shouts as he pokes my cheek. I swat his hand away, but by then there's no stopping the teasing. I do my best to ignore them as they continue to poke fun at Luke and I about it for the rest of the night.

When we get back to the hotel, Phil waits for us in the lobby. "Enjoy the beach?"

"Yes! It was amazing." I tell him with a hug. "Plus it was completely empty, so we had it all to ourselves."

"I know. I'm surprised more people don't know about it." He replies, pulling away from the hug.

"What? What's that look for?"

"So you and Luke?" He asks me seriously. I start to panic wondering what he's talking about, until he continues speaking. "Mason tells me you two were flirting?" I look around for Mason, but Phil stops me. "They went upstairs all ready. I wanted to talk to you for a minute though."

"About what exactly?"

"Andy," Phil starts as we walk over to a couple chairs and take a seat. "I know you like Luke."

"How do you?  _I_  didn't even realize it until recently!"

"You're my little sister, I know you better than you think. Plus, I noticed the way you've looked at him while you've been here." I open my mouth to say something, but Phil stops me. "It's the same way he looks at you."

I sigh, resting my head in the palms of my hands. "How is it everyone else realized my feelings for him and vice versa before I did?" I question.

"Because, you're you. You're too self-deprecating and guarded to have seen it." Phil tells me honestly, and I know he's right. "I just wanted to let you know-- I approve."

"What?" I ask him, genuinely confused.

"I approve of him. He seems like a really great guy, and he genuinely cares about you." Phil pauses taking a deep breath. "I felt like I needed to tell you that as your oldest brother. Especially because it's something a dad would do, but I don't expect ours to take that--or any responsibility." I can hear the bitterness in his voice as he speaks, which surprises me.

"I thought--" I pause before tentatively continuing. "--I thought you and he got along."

"We may not argue, but I have no respect for him. There's no way I could after everything that happened. None of us do, not even Mason."

"Really? I always thought Mason--"

"No. Mason won't easily admit it, but he doesn't respect him. Him and Mason may have a decent relationship, but that's only because Dad thinks he can control him. None of that means Mason really likes Dad."

"Are you saying what I think you are? That Dad is only nice to Mason because he thinks he can control him?" I ask as the pieces all start fitting together.

"Yeah. Why do you think you and Nico always had problems with him? Both of you have always been too independent and stubborn for his liking." Phil pauses as the realization hits him. "Wait, you never figured that out?"

"No." I shake my head and my eyes start watering up. "I always thought I was the only one he pushed away. I never realized or said anything because I thought it was just me." My voice drops to a whisper as I say. "All this time I thought it was just me or something  _I_  did. I thought I was alone."

"Andy, you're  _never_  alone." Phil says his face twisted in pain as he hugs me and lets me cry into his chest. "You have never been alone. We all were hurt by what he did, but I'm so so sorry we didn't talk to you about it more. Although, it did take us a while to figure it out." He mumbles, and I can hear his voice becoming shaky. "Don't worry. You'll never,  _ever_  be alone."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Helping me realize I've pointlessly blaming myself for stupid things all this time, for showing me I'm not alone, and for being my big brother."

"You shouldn't be thanking me for that."

"Yes, I should." I insist and tighten the hug as I say using our nickname for him. "I love you, Philtastic."

Phil shakes his head, laughing as he replies, "I love you too, Ducky."

We spend the next hour just talking about all the time we missed in each others lives, and laughing at each others crazy stories. When I make it back up to the suite, I feel free and light. I sit down on the living room couch with a smile. "Someone looks happy. What's gotten you so cheerful?" Calum asks with a playful nudge.

"I just had a nice talk with Phil."

"Really? That's good." He replies, and I notice him trying to bite back a smile.

"What are you up to?" I question warily. "Please, tell me you're not up to something."

"Don't worry, Andy. I'm not up to anything." He replies with a smirk.

"Why does hearing that not make me feel any better?" I ask no one in particular as I stretch out on the couch, draping my legs over Calum's. Ashton, Calum, and I all watch tv for a bit, when we suddenly hear Mason calling me from the balcony. "Coming!" I voice back as I get up and follow his voice out there.

The moment my feet hit the concrete balcony, I feel a hand pull me forward. Michael simultaneously starts screaming, "GO! GO! GO!" I turn around to see him and Mason laughing as they close the sliding glass door.

My stomach drops when I hear the tell-tale click, but I pull on the door anyway. "What in the world are you guys doing?" I shout at them through the door, but they mime that they can't hear me.

"Just so you know, I had nothing to do with this." Luke informs me as he stands by me.

"Do you have any idea what they're doi--" I start to ask, but stop when my phone starts ringing. I put it on speaker so Luke can hear it too. "Michael, what are we doing out here?"

"Well, you two are going to  _talk_ , and you know what about." He winks at us from the other side of the glass. "We're all tired of you two not just admitting it to each other. So, we're not letting you two back inside until you do." He walks away as he continues. "There's blankets, food, and water out there if you need it."

Michael hangs up before either of us can say anything. Even though he's far out of sight, I know he and the other guys all must be laughing at our situation. "So--" Luke says, dragging the word out and avoiding eye contact.

_Well, Andy, there's no avoiding it now._


	22. Chapter 22

We both sat in silence for nearly an hour avoiding eye contact. The whole time we know exactly why we're stuck out here and what the other isn't saying, but neither of us will speak first. I can't speak for Luke, but I can't seem to speak. Every time I try to, my throat tightens up, and nothing comes out. I shiver at the cold breeze, and I feel a warm blanket being wrapped around my shoulders. "Okay, we really should just get this out in the open. I highly doubt you want tot be out here all night long."

"Yeah, even though it would be interesting to say the least." I tell him with a small laugh in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, interesting." He mumbles sitting down across from me and nervously taps his foot. "Okay, here it goes. Andy, I like you--as more than just a friend. I have for a while now. Although, I will admit that I've had a small crush on you since we met. I just didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to mess up our friendship, and I was worried you wouldn't feel the same way." He rambles on, and I talk over him to get him to stop.

"Luke. Luke!" I pause for a moment to make sure he's not going to keep going. "I like you too, but I didn't realize it until we had that conversation after the dare. Well, technically, not until a couple days ago. It's part of the reason I was avoiding you, and why Michael stuck us out here. I told him everything at the beach earlier today."

"Really?" Luke questions looking genuinely shocked.

"What? Did you not think I liked you back or something?"

"Actually, yeah. I thought you were just being my friend, I didn't think you would ever like me back." He says as a dorky smile crosses his face. "You like me back." He starts laughing and shaking his head. His smile never falters for a single moment. "So--do you want to go out sometime?" I bite my lip, wondering if I'm ready to go into a relationship. Luke must have sensed my apprehension because he starts rambling again. "We don't have to if you don't want to. I know this has to be a lot, especially with everything that's happened recently."

I start laughing at how nervous he's getting, and he stops waiting for my answer. "Yeah, I would love to go out with you sometime."

"Okay. Awesome." He stutters out as the smile creeps back across his face. We sit in silence for a minute, both of us smiling as we process what just happened.

"We probably should have the guys let us back inside now." I tell him as I pull out my phone to text them. "Crap. My phone died." I complain and ask Luke if he has his.

"No, I left it in my room before they dragged me out here." He says looking worried at the idea of being stuck out here. "Maybe we could try knocking?" We both walk over to the glass doors, knocking and calling to the guys, but we get no response.

"How long did were they planning on leaving us out here?" I question, knocking on the door and shouting at the guys. "Well, they obviously can't hear us right now. I guess, we'll have to try later." I sit down in one of the reclining chairs with a sigh. "At least we have a nice view for now." I tell Luke as he takes the seat next to me.

"Mhm." He hums in reply, and I notice him shivering when the breeze picks up again.

"Are you cold?" I ask him.

"No, I'm fine." He says, but another shiver gives him away.

"Come on. We can share the blanket, since they never gave us a second one." I say, holding the blanket up and scooting over in my chair. "I'm sure it was all part of their plan, knowing them."

"It probably was." He laughs, but he pauses, refusing to move. "Are you sure you don't mind sharing?"

"I'm positive, Luke. I don't want you freezing because of me." I tell him as I lift up the blanket and tap the spot next to me. "Come on, it's not like I'm going to kill you." I joke with him as he sits down. Eventually, once Luke gets past his nerves, he wraps an arm around my shoulder. "Hey, Luke."

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry for avoiding you this week."

"It's okay. To be honest, I didn't mind it. I was so nervous around you, and I kept worrying I would slip up and say or do something." He laughs shaking his head for a second. "I'm kind of glad they stuck us out here."

"Me too." I reply looking into his deep blue eyes and smiling. "Also, I'm starting to feel happy that I was forced to come out here this summer."

"Well, if you're happy about that, than I'm glad Ashton almost burned the house down because he wanted mac 'n cheese." Luke says and we both start laughing uncontrollably.

"I still don't get how he did that. All it takes is boiling water. How can you start a fire when you're boiling water?" I question still laughing.

"I have absolutely no idea." Luke shakes his head. He looks down at me, and I notice small flecks of green in his eyes that I never saw before. Luke brushes a bit of hair behind my ear, and I notice his eyes trail down to my lips for a moment. We both start unconsciously leaning in, and our lips are only a millimeter apart when we hear a click.

"Nice seeing you two getting cozy." Calum teases wiggling his eyebrows. He stops in shock when he realizes how close we are, and he pieces everything together in his head. "Wait, were you two about to--"

"Don't finish that sentence, Calum." I warn him, but he just smirks as he runs off shouting 'they were about to kiss!' to the guys. "We're never going to hear the end of that are we?" I chuckle, resting my forehead against Luke's.

"No, I don't think we are." He laughs shaking his head as he helps me up. "We probably should head inside."

"Do we have to? I'm not ready to face my brother who just found out I was about to kiss you."

"Eh. I don't think he'll mind." Luke shrugs, and I wait for him to explain himself. "Mason, may or may not have talked to me about my feelings for you."

"What?" I stop in my tracks.

"Don't worry it was just the usual, 'what are your intentions with my sister,' and 'if you hurt her, I will find you and kill you."

"What is he talking about? It wouldn't just be him. You would have all three of my brothers and most likely my band coming after you." I joke with him, but he looks genuinely scared. "Don't worry, we haven't even gone out yet. Also, you have nothing to worry about as long as you don't break my heart, which I don't expect you to do."

"I'm glad I have your vote of confidence." He chuckles as he slips his hand in mine. "I hope you don't mind." He says, nodding down to our hands.

"I don't mind. It's actually kind of nice." I smile at him, and we walk into the living room to see all the guys looking at us with a mix of shock and a few mocking looks.

"Wow. You two are moving fast." Michael teases as he pulls me into a hug, whispering, "I'm glad you listened to my advice."

"I think I am too." I tell him as I pull away. I stifle a yawn, and tell the guys. "Sorry to crash the party, but I'm going to sleep."

"Aw! Come on, Andy!" Ashton shouts as he tries to convince me to stay.

"No. I'm going to sleep. I don't know about you guys, but I'm exhausted. Goodnight." I tell them with one last wave.

"Don't forget, we have to pack up tomorrow." Mason calls and I just give him a thumbs up as I walk into my room. I quickly take a shower and fall asleep the moment I fall into the bed.

"WAKE UP, ANDY!" Someone shouts and I grab a pillow to smack them with before I cover my ears with it and turn over. "That wasn't very nice. Mason, Andy hit me!" The voice whines as they walk out of the room.

A moment I hear someone come back in. "I told you shouting would only make her grumpier." Mason tells the other person, and I can feel the bed dip as he sits down on the mattress. "Andy, I know you want to sleep, but please, get up."  
  


"Noooo." I grumble, pulling the warm duvet over my head and rolling over to the other side of the bed.

"I'll make you coffee and food." Mason promises and tugs the covers from over my head. I continue to grumble and pout as I get up. "You do realize it's already noon, right?"

"But that's so early." I tell him as I sit down on the couch, impatiently waiting for my food and coffee, which Mason promptly brings me. I hear someone snickering and I look up to see Michael and Ashton biting back laughs when they notice me looking at them. "What are you looking at?" I question with a glare as I take a sip of my coffee.

"Nothing." Ashton and Michael both say shrugging. I shake my head at them as I sip my coffee and scroll through my twitter feed.

I notice I have a ton of mentions, and I look at them to see everyone's in a fuss over a picture. I keep looking and find a picture Mason tweeted of the guys and I at the beach yesterday. Although, most of the tweets aren't about how cool the picture, but questions about who I am and why I'm hanging out with the guys. Unfortunately, I come across some pretty nasty comments from people who claim to be fans of the guys. "You okay?" Calum asks as he sits down next to me about to turn on the tv before he noticed my expression.

"Yeah. I just saw people saying some rude things about me on twitter. It's nothing." I tell him in an attempt to play it off, but he grabs my phone and reads the tweets. "Calum, please, don't."

"Andy, these aren't rude things. This is full on hate." He says looking pained. "Why would people say things like this to you?"

"Because, they saw a picture of me with you guys, and I guess it combined with the rumors, they're reacting poorly."

"Screw that." He says, handing me back my phone and walking away.

"Calum, what are you doing?" I ask as I follow him to the kitchen Luke and Michael are.

"What's going on?" Luke asks with his eyebrows furrowed. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah." I try to say, but Calum talks over me.

"No. It's not okay, Andy." Calum insists, turning to the guys and telling them everything. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm not sitting by and doing nothing."

"Neither am I." Michael insists.

Luke, on the other hand, stays quiet. He looks up at me, and I can see his thoughts reflected in his eyes. Michael and Calum quickly excuse themselves and walk out of the room. "What are you thinking?" I ask him, although, I have a pretty good idea what it is.

"If this how people react to a picture of the group, how will they react if we start dating?" He asks staring at the ground.

"It was only a couple people being overdramatic. I'm not hurt by it or anything." I tell him taking a step forward and lifting his chin so he'll look at me. "Does it really matter how people react?"

"I don't want you getting hurt because of me." Is all he says, and silence hangs over us. "I don't want you getting hate because of me."

"Luke, I don't care. I can deal with it. Believe it or not, I stopped caring about what people said about me a long time ago."

"That doesn't mean it doesn't happen, or that it won't affect you eventually." Luke sighs, looking away from me again as he paces the room.

"So what? We're not even going to give this a try?" I ask motioning between the two of us. For some reason, the thought of him giving up already sends a sharp pain through my chest. Luke says nothing to dispute me, and I shake my head at him. "I never took you for someone to give up so easily. I expected someone like you to actually  _fight_  for me--for anything you actually care about. I guess I was wrong." Luke opens his mouth to speak, but I'm already out the door. Michael, Ashton, and Calum all take one look at me before they know something is wrong. I don't give them a chance either. Instead I walk into the room with all my stuff, blare some music, and try to find something to distract myself with.

I remember we're leaving tomorrow morning, so I start packing my things together. It does nothing for me, and I end up crumpling my clothes instead of packing. I fall onto my bed, feeling frustrated and ridiculous. Nothing had happened between Luke and I yet, but I'm still reacting like we were actually a couple. "Get yourself together, Andy. You're just being dramatic." I tell myself.

"Andy, are you in here?" I hear someone call from the doorway, and I look up to see Mason and Ashton.

"What are you guys doing here?" I ask, and immediately regret my tone of accusation.

"We just wanted to talk to you." Mason says sitting down on the mattress near me.

"There's nothing to talk about. I'm fine." I tell him as I pretend to focus on folding my clothes.

"What happened in there?" Ashton asks using a different approach to coax some information out of me.

"I got a couple of people tweeting me rude things. Calum saw them and told Michael and Luke. After that Luke got all freaked out, and kept saying he wasn't sure how people would react if we started going out. Then I got upset, said some things, and walked away. That's all."

"It doesn't sound like nothing." Mason says, and Ashton nods in agreement.

"Luke seems kind of upset about it all. Calum and Michael are talking to him about it." Ashton tells me, which causes a wave of guilt from what I said. "Look, I know you two haven't even gone out yet, but I think you and Luke need to talk about this."

"Why? It's obvious he doesn't want the fans reacting badly or me getting hurt. Unless he realizes I can handle a few haters or finds a way to keep those things from happening, then there's nothing to talk about." I tell him with a shrug.

"Are you sure about that?" Mason questions, and I can tell he's trying to read me.

"Yes. I can't do anything if he doesn't want to give us a chance or even fight for me than so be it." I tell them casually as I distract myself on my phone.

"Hey, Andy. You should check your twitter." Ashton tells me as he looks up from his phone with a smile.

"Ashton, what are you talking about?" I ask not bothering to pull out my phone. Ashton doesn't say anything, just pulls out his phone and shows me the tweets. I scroll through, and see each of the guys, including Ashton all tweeted about me and the picture. Each one of them even made comments about the hateful tweets, especially Luke, who sent out multiple tweets in my defense, even commenting about blocking the haters. I stare at the phone in shock, as I realize what he's doing. He's trying to fight for me.


	23. Chapter 23

"Shotgun!" Ashton calls out from behind me as we all started heading out to the van. I turn around wide-eyed since I was about to do the exact same thing. Neither of us say anything else, we both just start running to the van in the hopes of beating the other there. I practically sprint as best as I can, but I stumble when someone tugs on my duffel bag's strap. Ashton runs forward laughing maniacally and jumps into the front seat with a smug smile. "I never realized you were so slow." He teases, and I just glare at him.

"I really hate you sometimes." I mumble as I walk away.

"No, you don't." He shouts back at me.

"Don't tell me what I feel, Irwin." I jokingly shout back and shake my head at the crazy guy. I open up the door to the back of the van, and lift my duffel bag inside. The rest of the guys come by to put their bags in and I turn around to go claim my seat. Instead, I run straight into someone's chest and nearly tumble over.

"Woah. You okay?" Luke asks, looking down at me with concern, and I become very aware of the fact that his arms are wrapped around my waist.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine?" I try to say, but it comes out as more of a question.

"I--" Luke starts to say, but he stops suddenly. "Can we talk about yesterday? I don't really want to leave it off like we did." He tells me referring to how things were a little bit strained between us after the twitter incident.

"Um. Sure." I reply, and it's then that I notice his normally vibrant blue eyes looking unusually tired. "Are you okay? You look like you didn't get any sleep." I comment, not even thinking as I lift my hand up to his cheek.

"I'm fine. I didn't really sleep all that well." He tells me with a casual shrug. We both stay still for a moment, not saying anything, but looking at and analyzing the other.

We hear someone clear their throat from inside the van. Luke's arms instantly let go of me as we turn to see Calum looking at us awkwardly. "You guys do realize you have to actually get into the van before we can leave?"

I awkwardly nod as I head to the doors and climb inside, but I have to bite back a smile when I hear Michael scold Calum behind me. "Come on, dude. Couldn't you see they were having a moment? We were so close!"

"So close to what?" Luke asks as he takes the empty seat next to me.

Michael just stutters, and I reply for him. "I'm pretty sure they're trying to pull another balcony stunt on us." I tell him, and we both shake our heads knowing these guys won't give up. The car ride goes by for a while in relative silence, with the radio being the only noise. "Can someone,  _please_ , pass me the aux cord. I can't take the radio any more." I tell them with a sigh, and Ashton quickly passes me the cord.

I plug in my phone and quickly shuffle one of my playlists, smiling to myself as a few of us sing along. Ashton sits up front, drumming on the dashboard, while me, Luke, and Michael all play our air guitars as we sing along. Mason just shakes his head at us from the front seat, and Calum is too busy sleeping to notice anything.

Eventually one particular slower song comes on, but I decide not to skip it. Instead, I sing it out, relating the lyrics to the situation. "Oh, my stomach's tied in knots, and I'm afraid of what I'll find if you and I talk tonight. See the problem isn't you, it's me I find I do this every single time. I push you away. I get a so afraid. Oh no." I sing along with Kellin Quinn's voice as I strum out the chords I know so well.

When the song finishes, Luke steals the aux cord and plugs his phone in. I give him a weird look, but he says nothing. Instead he just smiles at me as he plays the song. A moment later, Right Girl by the Maine starts pouring through the speakers, and I shake my head at Luke.

All of the sudden the song cuts out and the radio starts playing again. "Will you two quit using songs to flirt and just talk already?" I give Luke a look and we both shrug. "Please, I ship you guys! I just want to see you two together already." Mason says from the front seat, causing the rest of us to laugh.

"Did you just say you ship us?" I ask Mason in between giggles. He just nods completely fine with the idea that he ships his little sister with Luke. "We were already planning on talking soon, if you must know." I tell them.

"Than why haven't you guys?" Michael asks looking between the two of us.

Luke responds before I get the chance to. "I don't think this was a conversation to have in front of everyone." He responds, making a very good point. No one says anything in reply, but at the next exit, Mason pulls off making an excuse about being hungry. Michael wakes Calum up and drags him out with everyone else, leaving just Luke and I in the car. "How did we not see that one coming?" Luke asks rolling his eyes.

"I don't know. We should know by now that these guys won't be giving up anytime soon." I tell him with a shrug.

"I don't mind though. Because, I don't really plan on giving up anytime soon either." Luke tells me, and I look up at him. He doesn't give me a chance to say anything as he continues. "Look, I'm sorry for freaking out and giving you the impression that I don't want to give this--us--a chance. So do would you be willing to still go out with me sometime?"

I bite my lip trying to hide back a smile and mentally scolding myself for jumping to conclusions so quickly. "Yeah, I would love to go out with you sometime."

Luke gets the same dorky smile on his face that he got when I first agreed to go out with him. "You have no idea how nervous I was that you had changed your mind."

"I wouldn't change my mind." I reassure him with a smile. "I just got a little bit upset yesterday. If you haven't realized, it bothers me when people underestimate what I can handle."

"Yeah. I didn't mean to do that to you, but I know how harsh people can be."

"Trust me, I've experienced it first hand." I sigh, and we sit in silence for a minute. "Should we let them know they can come back out? I have a feeling they'll stay in there forever if they think we haven't talked."

"Do we have to? You know when they come back they'll just keep bugging us about when we plan on going out."

"That is true." I tell him as I think it over for a minute. "Eh. I guess, I'll text them in a bit. Might as well enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasts" I say leaning back in my seat. I shift around trying to get comfortable, and Luke just drapes his arm over the seat and leans my head on his shoulder, which is much more comfortable than I expected.

We sit like that quietly for a few minutes before Luke asks, "Hey, Andy?"

"Hey, Luke." I joke back looking up at him.

"How come I don't hear you sing more often? I mean, you have an amazing voice."

I sigh, putting my head back on his shoulder as I think about it. "I guess, I'm not used to singing by myself. I usually only sing with my band backing me up.

"Well, how come I've never heard your band?" He asks, and I look up at him. "You haven't even told us your name."

"Actually, I have, but none of you ever looked us up." I tease and jokingly ignore Luke's many questions about it. "Don't worry. I'm sure the next time I say it, you'll catch on." I laugh at him, and we're interrupted by the guys climbing back in the van. "I'm surprised you guys came back on your own. I was sure that I would have to come get you guys."

"Well, we may have been spying on you two from inside." Calum says with his usual smirk as he climbs into the back seat. "We gave you guys a couple extra minutes alone before we came out here though."

"If only you had given me another minute. I was just about to get the name of Andy's band out of her." Luke says looking down at me with a mischievous smile.

"I already told you. I gave you guys the name of them before, but you never looked us up." I smile villainously at them.

"What when?" Ashton questions from the front seat as he pulls out his phone, ready to type at a moment's notice.

"Well, the very first time I met you guys, I may have casually slipped it into the conversation. But that's the only hint I'm giving you guys." I laugh at the mayhem that ensues. They all try to figure it out, but they have no luck. I notice Ashton's attention turn to Mason, but I cut him off before he gets a chance to go down that road. "Mason, you can't tell them what it is."

"Okay. I'll just give them a hint." He smiles, and I shrug unsure if they'll still be able to figure it out. "It's also the name of an All Time Low song."

I can't help but laugh as they go through multiple ATL songs trying to figure it out. "Therapy?" Michael calls, but Ashton shakes his head.

"Um... Stella?" Calum calls, and once again they strike out.

"I remember what is is now!" Luke shouts, and everyone--myself included--turns to him expectantly. "Isn't it something like Tidal Wave?" I try to keep my face blank, but Luke smiles at me knowing that he just got it right.

"I found them!" Ashton shouts gleefully as he plugs in his phone. "Should I play a cover or an original first?"

"Hand me the phone. I'll pick something." I roll my eyes at Ashton. "This is one of the songs from our EP that we made a video for." I tell them as I click the video and the song starts pouring through the speakers. I avoid looking at the guys so I don't have to see their reactions as they listen to the song.

This was one of the first songs I ever wrote, and it was the first original that we ever played as a band. It's probably the first thing that really brought us together, because when we performed it, we all saw a different side of each other through how we each related to it in a different way. When the song hits the chorus, I unconsciously start to sing along with it, creating an extra harmony to the track.

"Every moment I keep lying here, is another moment closer to dying.

Please, come back and tell me you were lying.

I don't want to keep crying,

and I can't live like I'm dying.

You're not coming back. So what more am I to do?

When my whole life was based around you.

All I know now is that you're gone, and I can't simply move on."

The song fades out, and I try to ignore the silent looks from everyone. "So yeah, that's my band." I tell them awkwardly trying to dispel the silence.

"You guys are amazing!" Calum tells me in awe. "Did you write that song and everything?"

"Um. Yeah." I tell him with a small smile. "We write all of our own music, but this song was one of mine. We also produce our own songs. Like all the tech sounds and stuff? That's all Matt, he plays the keyboard and basically Djs all of our music."

"That's sick." Michael compliments with smile and nod. "I'm totally tweeting a link to your music." I open my mouth to argue, but Michael won't hear it. "No, you guys are awesome, and more people need to hear your music."

I roll my eyes at him and notice Luke staring at me. "Was that song about--?"

"My dad leaving?" I ask, and he nods shyly. "Yeah, it was. Ironically he's the one that inspired me to start writing my own music. Back then, I needed a way to vent out all the negativity, and so I started writing down what I couldn't bring myself to say. It didn't take long before I started adding music to it, and shared it with Luke and Damian. A couple of months later, I met Skylar in a music class, and the band just kind of happened from there." I shake my head laughing quietly. "I can only imagine how mad John would get if he ever realized he's the reason I started my band and wanted to become a musician so badly."

"I'm sure he wouldn't be too happy about it. It doesn't matter though, because you're here now, and your music is too good for him to ignore forever." Luke compliments me.

"Thanks." I reply trying to keep from blushing. "I just hope other labels see the same thing. Otherwise, I pretty much ruined our chances of getting a deal because of my fight with John."

"Just wait. Once word about you guys get around, labels will start fighting to sign you guys."

"You're just saying that to be nice."

"No, I'm being completely honest." He insists and I just give him a smile as I lean my head back on his shoulder. I drift off to sleep without realizing and barely register it when I hear someone quietly whisper. "She looks so cute when she's asleep."

"Goodness, Luke. You're really smitten with her aren't you?" Someone whispers back, but I try to ignore it as I go back to sleep.

"Yeah, I guess I am." Luke whispers as he brushes a piece of hair from my face.

"Just--be good to her and try not to break her heart. Okay? I know she won't admit it, but it takes a lot for her to open up to people. She must really like you if you meet her high standards, so don't waste your chance."

"I'd be crazy if I did." I hear him whisper back, but I don't catch anything else that's said as I go back deeper into sleep.


	24. Chapter 24

I wake back up when we're only a couple miles outside of L.A., and the dread of going back hits me in full force. "I think I'm going to be sick." I mumble when we pass another sign. "Can I just find another place to stay for the next month? A hotel? A box? Anything?"

"Are you really that worried about this?" Mason asks from the front seat, and I can barely manage to nod in reply. "Look, I'm pretty sure it would only take a small push for him to find a rental house for the guys to stay in. Especially after what happened, I'm sure he would like to avoid any further damage to his precious reputation."

"Is there any way we can start shoving him to that idea  _before_  we get back?" I sigh, taking deep breaths as I try to push my anxiety away. "I honestly don't think I can spend any more time than I absolutely have to around him."

"We have to get gas soon, so I'll call Stacey and have her talk to him about it." Mason says, and I roll my eyes at the mention of the step-momster. "I know you don't like her, but give her a chance. She's the one that will most likely be able to convince him."

"Fine." I tell him with a shrug, and enter in a conversation with Luke, Michael, and Calum. "So, what are you guys talking about?"

Michael and Calum both look at Luke nervously for a moment. Eventually Luke just stutters, "Um, w-we were just talking about how excited for the album."

"Speaking of which, when do I get to listen to the rest of it?" I ask them, and they look at me confused. "Last I checked there were a couple tracks I hadn't heard."

Michael laughs completely ignoring my comment as he asks, "Have we made you into a fan?"

"Maybe. Plus, I don't like judging an album unless I've heard the whole thing."

"Well, we still have a couple more songs to record." Calum says with a shrug. "What about you? When can we listen to more of your original music?"

"I have a couple more songs on my phone, but we haven't released any of them yet." I pause, smirking at them as I say. "But you're not hearing them until I hear the full album."

"That's not fair!" Calum whines in reply, and I just shrug my shoulders at him. The conversation continues, but my mind keeps thinking about what will happen when we get back. "Andy? Andy? Are you still with us?" Calum asks as he waves a hand in front of my face.

"Y-yeah. I just got a little sidetracked for a second there. What's up?" I ask, but they all look at me knowingly. "Please, don't give me those looks. I'm already dreading being back enough, and I don't need you guys pitying me to make it any worse."

"We're not pitying you. We're just a little bit worried." Michael tells me and the other two nod in agreement.

"As long as I don't have to be near John, then I'll be fine. I just hope the step-momster can convince him to get you guys a different rental house. That way I could still help you guys and avoid John all at once." I tell them with a sigh and show them my crossed fingers.

"Well, if he won't listen, we'll  _ask_  for another place to stay. I mean, we could always make up some excuse about invading their privacy or whatever." Michael suggests.

"I might actually hold you to that one."

"Don't worry, we would really prefer to stay somewhere else. Especially after everything that's happened." Luke assures me and I give him a grateful smile.

Luckily, it never came down to that. After Mason talked to Stacie, we found out John was looking for another rental place  _before_  everything happened and finalized everything while we were gone. "Okay. I'm running upstairs, packing my stuff as quickly as humanly possible, and I'll see you guys in the car." I tell them as we pull down the driveway.

"Do you need any help?" Mason asks.

"Packing? No. A quick getaway? Quite possibly."

"I'm pretty sure he'll be avoiding you, but I'll get the information on the rental and wait here with the car." I just give Mason a quick nod as we all climb out of the car.

The guys try to lighten the grim mood by pretending to be ninjas as we sneak inside. Michael and I sneak around the corner to see if anyone is around the corner before we run upstairs and into our rooms. I shut my door to avoid everyone else.

It only takes me a few minutes for me to pack up the rest of my things and check over the room one last time to make sure I have everything. "I am  _not_  going to miss the sight of pink and grey every morning." I mumble to myself as I pick up my guitar and suitcase.

Ashton walks out of his room at the same time as me. "Have everything?" He asks and I nod. We both head downstairs, but I have to stop to keep myself from dropping my guitar down the stairs. Ashton doesn't say anything as he shakes his head and takes my guitar.

"What are you doing? I can carry that." I rush to catch up with him and get my guitar back.

"Really? Is that why you almost dropped it?" He questions back with a raised eyebrow. I don't reply as I repeatedly attempt to get it back from him. "No. I'm carrying it." He insists and continues out to the car. "What's so special about it that makes you scared for me to carry it?"

Obviously, he noticed my panicked looks every few seconds. "It's just--that's my first guitar. My mom bought for me as a birthday present, and I learned how to play on it. It pretty much started my band. I even played it at our first gig. A lot of memories involve  _that_  guitar. It probably sounds silly, but it means a lot to me."

"That's definitely  _not_  silly. I'm the say way with my drums. I have multiple sets, but I'm still attached to my first set." Ashton tells me with a nostalgic smile as we load the rest of our things into the van. "So how  _did_  your band start?" He asks and I laugh.

"It's a long story."

"The rest of the guys aren't back yet. We have time."

"Fine." I sigh, sitting on the bumper. "When we first started, it was just one of my best friends, Damian, and I playing guitar and bass while we sang covers. Back then, Luke didn't play--and he can't sing to save his life--so he just recorded it all for us while I was teaching him guitar.

"Three months later, I was in a different music class than Luke and Damian. So when we had to pair up, I was assigned to be Matt's partner, which is where this bad boy came in." I laugh as I tap on my guitar case. "We got into a lengthy discussion about the pros and cons of electrics against acoustics. That discussion went on for about a week before we finally agreed that they both have their perks. We became close friends after that, and he hit it off with the other two immediately. Actually, we all became virtually inseparable.

"One day, Matt showed up with this girl. Right off the bat we were impressed by her. She had fiery red hair, even though it wasn't technically allowed. She was loud, opinionated, funny, and was determined to be in the band after knowing us for five minutes. Her and Luke ended up arguing about the music styles. It got to the point where we were asked to leave the coffee shop, but it all worked out in the end. Actually, that argument is part of what helped us find our sound." I laugh, shaking my head at the memory of that day. "It took us some time to find a rhythm with each other, but when we did we realized we made a great team. Plus, we create a  _killer_ , new style. People usually take a while to realize we're a band, but then again, most people don't understand our music at first. I love it though, because to me it's another thing that makes us so different."

"That's so cool." Ashton tells me. "Honestly, I never would have guessed you guys were friends, much less a band, just by looking at you guys. But listening to your music, it's obvious you guys work together well."

"Thanks, Ash." I tell him with a genuine smile. "So how did you and the guys become a band?"

"Well, our story isn't as cool as yours."

"What's not as cool as hers?" Michael asks as he tosses his bag in the trunk.

"The story of how we became a band." Ashton tells him, and Michael clutches his chest, pretending to be hurt.

"What are you talking about? It's a great story!"

"Not as good as Andy's." Ashton jokes as he winks at me. What am I supposed to do with these idiots?

"Oh! I want to hear  _that_  story!" Michael shouts.

"Later. I want to hear your story first. Plus, I'll just tell you when the other two get here so I don't have to repeat it a hundred times."

"Ugh. Fine." Michael sighs, but makes me promise to tell it after.

By the time Michael finishes, Calum has helped him embellish the story, and I'm dying of laughter. "That's how you became a band?" Michael, Ashton, and Calum all nod. "Well, it's definitely an interesting story to say the--" I stop when I notice Luke finally walking out of the house talking animatedly on the phone.

Luke's eyes go wide when he realizes I'm staring at him. "Yeah, I'll definitely keep that in mind. Thank you, I have to go right now, but I'll probably call you again later." He pauses for a moment before saying a quick goodbye. "Sorry for taking so long. I got a bit sidetracked." He speaks, fidgeting around nervously and avoiding eye contact with me.

Part of me is curious as to who he was talking to, but the other part ignores the idea of it, scolding me for the pang of jealousy. "It's okay. Michael was just telling me the story of how you guys became a band."

"Really?" Luke asks, and he nervously continues with wide eyes. "Please, tell me he didn't show you any pictures."

"No. He didn't but--" I pause grinning as I pull out my phone. "--now I have to see some pictures."

"NO!" They all collectively shout at me, and Ashton snatches my phone from me.

"Aw. Come on! I'm sure it's not that bad." I laugh as I try to steal back my phone, but they keep passing around so I can't get to it. Luke holds it high over my head, looking down on me with a devious smile. "Give it back, Hemmings." I warn, but he shakes his head, still holding my phone out of my reach. "Ugh. Fine, I promise I won't look up any pictures."

"I don't believe her for a second." Ashton says, shaking his head.

"Really, guys?" I shout, and they just shrug as they pile into the car so Mason can drive us to the new place.

The guys all chatter as we head over to the new rental, but I pretend to still be upset about the loss of my phone. "Hey, Andy?" Luke calls from the seat in front of me.

"Yes, phone thief?" I tease. "What's up?"

"H-h-how does tomorrow night sound?" He bites his lip ring nervously as he waits for my reply.

I have a pretty good idea of what he's talking about, and I can feel my cheeks turning warm as I ask. "For what?"

"Our date?" He smiles and i notice his cheeks turning pink too. Gosh, what has this boy done to me? He's making me blush and everything.

"Sound perfect." I tell him with a smile as I try to hide my burning cheeks as the guys, Mason included, all cheer for us.

"I can't believe you actually asked her out." Michael tells us, shaking his head.

"Well, I did." Luke interjects, giving me a smile.

"So--" Ashton pauses looking at me for a second before he covers my ears to make sure I 'can't hear.' "--what are you planning?"

"I'll tell you later." Luke says smirking at me. I stick my tongue out at him childishly and he does the same. "Anyway, I think we're here."

I look out the window to see a large mansion in front of us. "Wow." I whistle at the sight of it. "Hey, Ash." I turn to the blonde taking his hands off my ears. "No burning this one down. Okay?"

Everyone just laughs at the joke, and Ashton rolls his eyes at me. "Fine, I'll try not to."

I spent the rest of the evening chasing the guys around the house trying to get my phone back from them, after they stole it back from me. "Calum Hood, I'm giving you three seconds to run." I tell him as I climbed out of the pool he threw me in. I start my count, but dash after him after reaching one.

"No! Don't let Andy kill me." He jokingly squeals, but the guys all help me chase him down. "Traitors."

I jump on his back, pinning him to the ground. "The only way you're getting up is if you tell me you're sorry and I'm the coolest person you've ever known."

"Never." He jokingly yells.

"Poke him in the side. He's extremely ticklish there. It's how we can get him to do almost anything." Luke tells me.

"Oh, really?" I question and start poking him. Calum just starts laugh, barely managing to speak in between laughter. "Do you concede?"

"Yes! I give up." He laughs, and I finally stop.

"Okay. We're cool now." I say getting off of him and sitting down on the living room couch. "So, who wants to pick a movie?" I question.

"I will!" Ashton and Michael both volunteer, and end up fighting over who picks the movie.

We all get irritated after about 10 minutes of them squabbling. "Just pick something already!" Calum groans, propping his feet up on the ottoman.

"As long as it's not boring." I add on, but they still pick some boring comedy movie. "Whyyy. Why would you do this to me? I'm wasting away my precious life watching this." I complain, leaning into the couch.

"Why don't you just go to sleep then?" Michael teases.

"But I'm not tired." I complain like a toddler. "Hold on. I'm going to go grab one of my books." I say excitedly as I run to my room. I quickly grab one of my favorites, a blanket from the bed and head back into the living room with the guys. I sit back down, shifting around until I'm comfortable. I open up my book and fall into the story wholeheartedly.

I barely pay any attention as Luke casually stretches his arm over the back of the couch. "Stop staring at me, Luke." I mumble, quickly glancing up at him to see his look of embarrassment.

"I wasn't staring at you."

"Oh, really? Than what were you doing?" I ask him, still reading.

"I was--trying to read the story with you?" He tells me, but it comes out as more of a question. I just roll my eyes at him and hand him the book. "What are you doing?" He asks holding the book in confusion.

"I'm letting you read the story. I've read it a bunch of times already." I tell him with a shrug as I turn to watch the movie.

"You would just let me read it and watch the movie?" He asks obviously surprised.

"Of course, I would love to have someone else to talk about the book with. Even if it means watching a crummy movie." I smile up at him, and start watching the movie again. "I'm just going to apologize now if I fall asleep on you." I laugh and so does he. I look over and notice the rest of the boys all exchanging looks. "Oh, shut up."

"We weren't saying anything." Calum smiles.

"Not verbally." I sass back. "Just watch the movie, you dorks." By the end of the movie, I get up to turn in for the night, but Luke grabs my hand. "What are you doing?" I ask him, but he shushes me turning to the last page of the book.

"Aannd, I just finished." He looks up at me with a smile and pulls me back down. "Now, I need to ask you something."

"Oookay." I laugh, uncertain of where he's going.

"Is there another book, and do they end up together? Also, why did he have to die? You know exactly who I'm talking about. I mean, I know they technically explained why, but still." He starts to ramble, and I shake my head at the monster I created. "Why are you laughing? I seriously need answers."

"I know. I just didn't expect you to finish the book so quickly, or to get so attached."

"It's a good book." He tells me with a shrug.

"It really is. As of right now, there's only the one book. I'm just waiting for the next one to come out." I tell him sadly, and I fight back a yawn. "So what was your favorite part?" I ask him. I may be tired, but I've always been a night person and staying up to talk about a book with someone is never something I turn down.

Luke and I stayed up all night. At first, we were talking about the book, but we moved on to other topics. I don't even register half of what we talk about, but I can't explain how happy I felt just talking with him about the most random things.


	25. Chapter 25

"Aghhh." Calum screams as I walk into the kitchen looking grumpy. "I think Andy needs coffee."

"Obviously." I grumble hopping onto the kitchen counter and pouring myself a large mug of caffeine.

"Someone's definitely not a morning person." Ashton jokes with such cheer.

"How are you two so energetic in the mornings?" Michael complains putting his head down on the table.

"Luke, what are you making me for breakfast?" I ask the tall blonde, who's intently focusing on the pan in front of him. "Pancakes. They may not be as good as Bianca's waffles, but hopefully they're still good."

"Eh. If it's too bad we can just eat cereal." I tell him with a shrug. "So--are you going to tell me what we're doing today?" I ask hopefully.

Luke opens his mouth to start telling me, but quickly realizes what he was about to and shakes his head laughing at me. "Nope. It's a surprise."

"But I hate surprises." I complain as I hop off the counter. "Just so you know, every time someone tries to surprise me, it never ends well."

"I'm sure this one will be the exception." He calls after me confidently.

"That's what they  _always_  think. I promise you, something's going to happen. It never fails to." I tell him as he carries a plate with pancakes to the table.

"Are you sure you're just not so paranoid that you inadvertently make it happen?" Ashton challenges me.

"My friends have already asked that, but it always happens. Even when a complete stranger does something it always goes wrong, it's like a curse."

They continue to theorize throughout breakfast, but I ignore them as I quickly eat and head out onto the deck. I stretch out with another book and decide to distract myself from trying to figure out what Luke has planned. Unfortunately, that plan doesn't work out and I spend hours pestering the guys into telling me what he has planned. "You'll never get me to tell you." Ashton shouts as I chase him around the house.

"Ashton, if you're my friend you will tell me." I call as he hides behind Calum in the living room.

"No! Both you and Luke are my friends. I'm not telling you."

I complain falling down on the couch next to Michael. "Fine, but can one of you at least help me get ready? Since I have no idea where we're going much less how to look."

"I don't know anything about that stuff!" Michael protests, but I glare at him to get my message across. "Fine. I'll help." He give in and follows me toward my room. The moment the door closes, I nervously pace around the room. "Wow. I didn't realize you were so nervous."

"I am not nervous!" I try to convince him and myself, but he obviously doesn't believe it. "Okay. Maybe I'm a little nervous, and it doesn't help that I'm in the dark about everything."

"Why?" He asks taking a seat on my bed as I stare down at the grey carpet.

"First, because I'm not used to not knowing what the plan is. Second, it's my first real date--ever." Michael looks at me in shock, but I ignore him as I continue as continue. "Plus, it doesn't help that I  _really_  like Luke. I mean, what if it goes horribly? What if--?"

"Andy," Michael stops me by grabbing my shoulders. "Everything will be fine. Trust me. Also, if it makes you you feel better Luke is just as nervous."

"Really?" I ask remembering how calm he seemed when I saw him last.

"Oh, yeah. He's trying to keep cool, but you're  _both_  so nervous. It's adorable."

"Whatever." I tell him as I roll my eyes. "Now, can you help me figure out what to wear?"

"Just wear something casual like you normally would? Oh, but you might want to bring a flannel or jacket in case it gets cold."

"Okay. Thanks, mother." I joke at the jacket comment. Michael just laughs at me as I sort through my clothes. "Okay. So should I go with Sleeping With Sirens, My Chem, Twenty One Pilots, Sykes, or Panic! At the Disco?" I ask him and his eyes go wide.

"Wait. You actually want my help?"

"I wouldn't mind if you did decide to help, but you don't have to." Michael just nods and names a band at random. "Wait here for a minute while I go change." I tell him as I walk into the large closet before quickly changing into my top and ripped skinny jeans. "This look okay?" I ask as I stand in front of Michael.

"Yeah." Is all he says in reply. I should have known he would be no help to me.

"You're absolutely no help." I roll my eyes as I push him towards the door. "I'll be out in about 10 minutes if anyone asks."

"10 minutes? Most girls I know would take way longer." I decide to ignore the comment as I shut  the door and continue to get ready. I put on my velvet choker and my normal makeup. I quickly braid the side of my hair and leave the rest of it in its naturally curly state.

I slip my flannel on and head out to the living room. "Where's Luke?" I ask seeing all the boys except him.

"He's still--woah." Calum says in surprise when he sees me. "Someone's all dressed up for their date."

"What are you talking about? I look exactly the same as I always do." I roll my eyes at him as I take a seat in one of the recliners.

"No, Calum's right. You definitely look different tonight." Ashton insists as he continues. "If you don't believe us, just ask Luke."

"Ask me what?" Luke asks, walking into the room at the mention of his name.

"Doesn't Andy look super nice right now?" Calum asks and completely ignores my glares.

"You don't have to answer that." I tell him. "Change of topic, I'm ready whenever you are." I say standing up. Luke nods as we leave, doing our best to ignore the many teases and jokes from the others. "So where are we headed?" I ask as I nervously twirl the keys in my hand.

"I'll give you directions, but I'm telling you exactly where." He smirks at me, making me sigh, knowing he's going to drag it out. "I know you said you hate surprises, but trust me you're going to love this one."

"What makes you so sure?" I ask him with a raised eyebrow and a laugh.

"I have my ways." He tells me confidently, and we drive around for about fifteen minutes before Luke tells me to park. "So, I figured we would eat first and then go to the main part of the date."

"There's no use asking, is there?"

"Nope." He laughs and grabs my hand as we walk along. "You should know, y-you look really beautiful tonight. That's not to say you don't look good all the time. It's just, I think you look really great tonight." He rambles nervously, and I smile at him as I place a kiss on his cheek.

"You're not looking too bad yourself, Hemmings." We both end up blushing profusely. "Don't worry, I'm nervous too." I whisper to him.

"Why are we so nervous about this? I mean, it's not like we don't know each other."

"I know right?" I agree with him. "I think I'm more excited than nervous. Plus, this is technically my first real date."

"That's how I am too. Can we just try not to be nervous around each other tonight?"

"Definitely." I tell him as we walk inside the restaurant. "Aw. This place reminds me of my favorite restaurant back home." I comment as we take our seats.

"Mario's, right?" I look at him, puzzled by how he could know that. "You mentioned it to me a while ago." He tells me after noticing my confusion, but he still nervously chuckles as a blush creeps across his face. "You told me about how much you love the pizza there and everyone knows you by name."

"How did you remember that? Didn't I tell you that over a week and a half ago?"

Luke stares at the table, fiddling with his napkin and avoids looking at me. "I remember it because that was the first time I heard you genuinely laugh. It was when you were telling me about the first time you met Mario."

"I can't believe you remembered that." I had barely remembered telling him that story, but it brings another smile to my face. I open my mouth to say something, but the waitress interrupts us when she comes to the table.

"Hi, I'm Kat. I'll be your server for tonight. Can I get you something to drink?" She asks cheerily, and I can't help but notice her attention is solely on Luke.

Luke must have notice to because he gives me a wide-eyed look when she  _finally_  takes our orders and leaves. Although, that was only after she spent a few minutes flirting with Luke. "I don't think she realized we're on a date." He chuckles but looks clearly embarrassed.

"I don't think so either. In fact, I'm pretty sure she didn't know I was here for the first few minutes." We laugh about it for a little while before we carry on with our conversations.

Luckily for us, as the meal progresses we were finally not be so nervous around one another. "Are you ready for the next part of our date?" Luke asks me, taking my hand once again as we leave the restaurant.

"I don't know. Am I?" I joke.

"If you're ready to be blown away, then yes. You are definitely ready." I shake my head and laugh at him. "C'mon, we can take a shortcut through the park."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, an LA park in the middle of the night? Plus, it looks like it might rain." I tell him pointing to the thick clouds brewing overhead.

"We'll be fine. I promise." He insists as he pulls me along. Well, he was wrong, because after a few minutes of walking we started to feel raindrops. Before we knew it, we were stuck in a downpour.

I wordlessly pull him along until we find a large tree to shelter us from the rain. "I told you, things like this always happen to me." I shake my head at him as I use one of the tree's knots as a foothold.

"What are you doing?"

"Climbing the tree." I joke with him stating the obvious. "It's probably going to get muddy down there in a minute so I suggest you climb up." I look down at him and catch him mid-stare. "Luke Hemmings, quit staring at my butt." I lecture him, smirking as he turns a bright shade of red.

"I wasn't staring. I just wanted to make sure you weren't going to fall." He tries to make an excuse, and I just brush it off. "You're weird." He tells me as he attempts to climb up.

"How am I weird?"

"I don't know. You just are."

I roll my eyes at him--something I've started doing quite a bit of lately. "So you are finally going to tell me where were headed?"

"Fine, we were headed to a pop-up Disappear Here concert." He tells me with a sigh and a small smile.

"Disappear Here? I love them! They're actually internet friends of mine." I pause, thinking it over for a minute before asking. "How did you know about them?"

"Ummm..." Luke mumbles and avoids looking at me. "I may have asked your friends for first date ideas."

"You what?"

"I got one of their numbers from Mason and called them from ideas. They gave me a bunch of suggestions and even brought up the concert."

"I can only imagine how they reacted when they heard we were going on a date."

"There was a lot of cheering and a couple excited screams." He tells me as he laughs. His laughter is beyond contagious, and it sends a fresh wave of jitters through me.

"Just so you know, that was definitely a perfect first date idea for me." I tell him with a smile as I lean against the tree's trunk. "So what should we do while we're stuck up here?"

"What about we play 20 questions?"

"Sure. Why not?" I shrug. "Are you starting or am I?"

"I'll start." He pauses, thinking it over for a second. "Full name?"

"Alexandria Lynn Parker. Well, Parker will officially be my last name soon."

"Lynn, huh? It fits you. Okay, um... Favorite song to sing?"

I bite my lip as I debate whether to lie or tell him the truth. "Don't judge me for this, but Carry On from your guys' album. It's probably my favorite so far, and I've had it stuck in my head." Luke doesn't say anything for a moment as he smirks at me. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"No reason. I just remembered you haven't heard the new songs yet."

"That's only because you guys haven't recorded them yet and--someone--won't let me see them."

"I'd rather you hear them." He tells me and quickly changes the subject. "Okay. Here's a random one... Hogwarts house?"

"Technically, I'm tied between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, but I'm proud to call myself Gryffindor."

"Patronus?"

"Black mare."

"Ummm... First kiss story?" He asks nervously.

I just raise my eyebrows and point to him. "You should know the story, seeing as how you were my first kiss."

"Oh." Is all Luke says as a blush creeps across his face. "I didn't realize that was--I thought you were joking before."

"Nope. Before then, I had never been kissed."

"Even by Peter?" Luke asks, not bothering to hide his disgust when he says his name.

"Definitely not by Peter. Not that he didn't try."

"Wait. Does it still count if you didn't kiss me back?" Luke asks looking confused, and I have to keep from laughing at how worried he seems by it all.

"I don't know." I tell him with a shrug. "I guess maybe you're  _not_  my first kiss after all." I tease him.

"Well, than I'll have to change that sometime." He replies with a confident smirk. We just silently look at each other for a few moments. The only sounds we hear is the rain hitting the leaves of the tree. I notice Luke's eyes trailing down to my lips every once in awhile, and I suddenly become hyper-aware of his hand on mine and how close we currently are. He smiles again as he asks. "Favorite band member?"

"Which band?"

"5sos."

"Hmm." I pretend to think about it for a second. "That's easy--Michael." I keep my face completely serious as Luke practically implodes. "The rain's finally easing up. We should probably head back before it picks up again." I climb down from the tree and Luke follows me a split second later, peppering me with questions. "Luke, I was kidding. I don't have a favorite member--of any band."

"Really?" He asks, sighing in relief.

"Of course not. I'm one of those people that likes each band member for different reasons."

"So in what way do you like me?" Luke asked me with a confident smirk as we started trudging through the mud and rain.

"I think you already know the answer to that question." I tell him and walk a little faster. We continue to walk in silence for a while, each slight breeze sending shivers down our spines. "Finally!" I excitedly shout as the car comes into view and tug Luke along. We quickly climb in and put the heater on full blast. "I better not get sick because of your 'shortcut.'"

"I hope not. At least if you get sick, I'll get sick."

"How would that be a good thing?" I ask him, genuinely dumbfounded by his logic.

"Because, I would get to spend more time with you." He tells me, and both start laughing at how cheesy that sounded.

"Don't be so sure. From what everyone tells me, I'm definitely a bit different when I'm sick. Although, my band mates always find it quite amusing."

"How so?" He questions leaning back in his seat and turning to heater up as he watches me. I look over to see his blue eyes analyzing my every move, and I quickly turn away, unsure of what feelings are running through me at the moment.

"Don't worry about it. You probably won't even have to deal with it." I shrug, knowing he's in for a surprise if I  _do_  get sick. I start up the engine and continue our game of 20 questions, asking him random facts. "Birthday--age included?"

"July 16th. I'm turning 18 this year."

"So we're the same age,  _and_  my birthday is only three days before yours? Good to know."

"Wait, your birthday is the 13th? How did I not know this?" He questions incredulously.

"I'm not really one to celebrate my birthday all that much. Mostly because that's when John decided to ruin my life with his stupid 'deal' on my birthday." We both stay silent for a moment, but surprisingly, it's a comfortable silence. I bite my lip and ask a more serious one. "Have you ever been in love?"

"Where did that question come from?"

"I don't know. I'm just curious." I tell him with a shrug.

"Okay." He rubs the back of his neck as he thinks over what to say. I start to panic for a moment wondering if I crossed a line of some sort. "No, I haven't. I mean, I thought I was back then, but I wasn't."

"Oh." Is all I manage to say. Luke must have noticed and tells me the story. "Wow. That must have sucked."

"I thought so at the time, but I've been over it for a long time now."

"Let me try to think of a happier question." I tell him as I drum my fingers on the steering wheel. "Favorite band memory?"

"Oh, that's a hard one." He chuckles and messes with his lip ring as he thinks. "Probably the first concert of our tour. My favorite memory from that day would definitely be playing our songs on stage with them in front of the crowd. It was amazing--realizing that I had made it with my best mates at my side." My focus keeps splitting between the road and Luke as he tells the story. Seeing the way he smile and how his eyes light up when he talks sends a stampede through my stomach.

We sit in the car for a few minutes, staring at the house. "I'm not ready for them to bombard us with questions and remarks." I complain as I turn the car off. The only sound is the rain falling against the windows. "Do we have to go in?"

"No. We can stay out here for a little while longer, if you want." I nod, leaning back in my seat watching the raindrops fall and slide across the windshield. I barely notice it when Luke's hand wraps around mine. "Hey, Andy." He whispers as his calloused fingertips absent-mindedly trace patterns on my hand. I turn to him as he continues. "I know things weren't as planned, but I still had a great time."

"Me too. You didn't do too shabby for a first date." I reply with a smile. "We should probably head inside soon. Knowing those weirdos they'll think we're up to something." Luke just nods, letting go of my hand as we head inside. We completely ignore the rain as we run to the front door.

I pull out my key to open up the door, but Luke grabs them from me. "Just one second. There's something I want--need to do first." He says taking a step closer to me, and my heart starts to race when I realize what's happening. "Can I--?" He asks as he gently puts his hands on my waist. I just look up at him, too panicked to even think straight as I nod. We both start to lean in when we hear a telltale click. Luke doesn't even pull away, just shakes his head as he says. "You're timing  _really_  sucks, Calum."

I turn to Cal, and see him leaning against the doorframe smirking. "I'll add it to my list of special talents." He laughs as he runs away shouting to the other guys that he nearly caught us kissing  _again_.

"I swear, Calum. I'm giving you exactly one minute before I come kick your butt into next week." I shout after him, rolling my eyes as I turn to walk inside. I feel Luke's fingers wrap around my elbow as he turns me around.

He smiles down at me, as he once again puts a hand on my waist and uses the other to lift my chin up towards him. I lean in with him and smile into the kiss. Luke does the same, and he stares at me for a moment after he pulls away. "Sorry. I didn't want Calum ruining another perfectly good moment. Plus, I've been waiting to do that since that night on the balcony." He chuckles with a goofy smile on his face.

"I'm not complaining." I tell him, my voice barely managing to come out in a whisper. "Now, if you don't mind, I have to go kick Calum's arrogant, little bum."

"Need any help?" He asks taking my hand in his as we walk inside. "I can hold him down, you can mess up his hair."

"Oh. I like that idea." I tell him giddily as we shut the door and run after him. "Oh, Calum! I need to talk to you for a minute."

I hear the rest of the guys laughing in the living room as Calum shouts, "Crap!"


	26. Chapter 26

"I can't believe you two got yourselves sick." Ashton says ruefully as he hands Luke and I each some medicine and tea.

"How did you even manage to get caught in the rain?" Mason asks us and hands me one of his sweatshirts.

I turn to Luke, nearly laughing at his guilty expression. " _Someone_  thought it would be a good idea to take a 'shortcut' through the park. We got caught in the rain, and now we're sick."

Mason just shakes his head for a moment. "Well, I'm going to take the others to the studio. Do me a favor, Andy. Don't give Luke a hard time. I remember how rambunctious and different you can be on cold medicine."

"Shut up, Mason." I roll my eyes at him as I wrap myself in the blanket and his sweatshirt. The cold medicine only takes a few minutes to kick in after they leave, and my mind starts becoming fuzzy around the edges.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Luke asks after a few minutes of silence. I quickly reply, and we both start laughing at how ridiculous we sound.

"What are we watching?" I ask him as he grabs the remote, flipping through Netflix.

"Ever seen How I Met Your Mother?" He asks me, pausing over the title of the show.

"Nope."

"What? It's one of my favorites." He tells me as he looks at me with mock terror. "It's decided then. I'm making you watch it."

"Fine with me." I shrug in reply and lean into the couch cushions--simultaneously leaning into Luke.

I giggle--something I would  _never_  do without the stupid, cold medicine--when Luke tenses up. "Andy, w-what are you doing? Are you feeling okay?" He stutters clearly nervous and wondering why I'm being so cuddly and out of character.

"Cuddling with you, obviously." I tell him, falling into another fit of giggles.

"Is this part of what happens when you're on cold medicine?" I just shrug in reply as I continue to giggle. Luke just laughs along with me, shaking his head as he gently wraps an arm around my waist.

A few episodes in, Luke and I are talking and laughing about the show. My head is resting on Luke's chest, with my arm draped over his torso. I keep catching myself almost drifting off to sleep as his hand rests over mine, gently tracing patterns into my hand.

"That tickles." I make the mistake of telling him as his fingertips gently brush my hand.

"Oh. So you're ticklish, huh?" Luke asks with a devious smirk on his face. I shout as I try to run away, but he quickly catches up to me, picking me up with ease as he puts me on the couch and starts tickling my sides.

"Stop! Please, I can't breathe!" I manage to yell at him in between laughter, but he just continues to laugh and tickle my sides.

"Only if you admit defeat." He teases.

"Never give up, never surrender." I shout back with the obscure movie reference. When he stops for a moment to give me another chance to give up, I take the opportunity to enact my revenge on the blond giant.

"Nooo." He shouts, as he tries to stop me, but I just laugh maniacally as I run away. "You can't hide forever." Luke calls as he tries to chase after me, which starts the three-hour game of hide and seek. Each time one of us finds the other we run around chasing the other until we manage to hide once again. I giggle to myself as I bury myself under the massive lump of blankets and pillows on the couch to hide from Luke. I can barely see him through a tiny gap of the blankets as he rushes in, clearly out of breath as he looks around for me. "Dang, she's fast." He laughs to himself as he shakes his head.

Luke looks around for a couple minutes, but still doesn't manage to find my hiding spot--or he never acknowledges where I am to say the least. I bite back a giggle as I throw a pillow at the back of his head. He looks around frantically and laughs when he sees me. He grabs the pillow off the floor and tosses it back at me. "I have an idea."

"Which is what exactly?"

"We make a pillow fort." I tell him like a little kid. Luke just shakes his head at me, his eyes lit up with amusement as he nods and helps me use the couch's many cushions and pillows to create a large fort. When we're done, I climb inside, piling up the pillows and blankets perfectly. "Are you coming or not?" I ask Luke, peaking my head out to look at him. "There's plenty of room in here."

"Don't worry, I'm coming, love." He chuckles, pausing for a second when he realized what he just called me. "S-sorry, it just kind of--."

"Don't be. I actually don't mind it." I smile at him as he awkwardly enters our little fort. "We didn't do too bad. Maybe we should become architects instead of musicians."

"Maybe." Luke jokes as he once again pulls me into his chest. We start the show back up, and I continually look up at Luke. "What are you looking at me for?"

"Nothing." I pause, looking away. "You just look really cute when you smile."

"Well, you look really cute no matter what." He compliments back, making my heartbeat quicken as I shake my head at him. "I'm serious, you know. I think you're beautiful."

I mumble back a quiet 'thank you,' as I pretend to focus on the show again. Instead though, my mind drifts to the gentle sound of his heartbeat and the way his fingers are running through my hair. I find it oddly soothing and smile to myself as I pretend to laugh at something from the show. "Hey, Andy." Luke says quietly, and I hum a reply as I look up at him. "Do you think this could count as a second date?" I just smile at him and nod my head. "Good." He whispers and leans in, placing a soft kiss on my lips.

"Did you want this to be a date so you had an excuse to kiss me?" I ask him smugly, not that I'll argue with his logic.

"Maybe. Do you have a problem with that?"

I bite my lip as I think it over for a second. Normal Andy would probably be uncomfortable in this situation and say 'yes,' but sick, cuddly Andy is too euphoric and lost in the moment to complain. "No, I don't." I reply, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before leaning back on his chest.

"Awww. They look so adorable." I hear Mason coo, and I mentally sigh at how much of a hopeless romantic he can be. "I wouldn't do that--" Mason warns, and I wake up with a shout when I feel someone land on top of me.

"Sometimes I really want to kill you." Luke groans shoving Michael off of us, and I try to pull the mass amount of blankets off of us.

"Why on earth did you think that was a good idea?" I complain, using a pillow to smack him upside the head. "Great. Now I'm going to feel even more achy and miserable." I stand up, sitting down on the couch next to Ashton, putting my head on his shoulder to shield my eyes from the bright lighting.

"I'm sorry, Andy." Michael pouts, opening his arms up wide as he motions for me to hug him.

"No. You don't deserve a hug." I tell him, sticking my tongue out at him.

"Can  _I_  have a hug?" Ashton asks, to which I nod and give him a hug. This sends Michael into a pout, which only worsens as I go around hugging everyone--except for Calum, who quickly joins Michael. "Cal, what did you expect? You keep ruining every moment between her and Luke."

"I can't help that I have a special talent." He jokes rolling his eyes.

"No, you just have terrible timing. Plus, it doesn't help that you gloat about it." I tell him as I walk into the kitchen to get some food. "Mason, please, tell me you brought me food."

"I didn't think about it. What do you want?" He asks as he follows me in the kitchen.

"Ummm... Chinese sounds good right now." I tell him with a smile.

"I should have assumed as much. Every time you get sick, you would always make Mom get you chinese."

"It makes me feel better. Plus, it's kind of became a tradition now."

"I'll go get you chinese." He tells me with a chuckle as he shakes his head and grabs his keys to leave.

I walk back into the living room to join the guys, but stop when I hear my name mentioned in the conversation. "So, have you asked her yet?" I hear Michael ask, and I lean against the wall to stay out of sight.

"Not quite yet. I mean, we just started going out." Luke responds sounding unsure of himself.

"Dude, it's obvious you two  _really_  like each other. Why not just take the chance and ask her? Is there really any harm in making it official?"

"Exactly. Plus, it's not like you two have to go public right away, if that's what you're worried about." I hear Ashton agreeing with Calum, and Luke sighs as the silence settles over the group. I give them a second before walking into the room, pretending as if I hadn't heard a thing. "Where did Mason go?"

"He's being an amazing twin and getting me food." I tell him with a smile as I lay down on the bundle of pillows and blankets from the fort. "I'm still mad at you for destroying our epic fort, Michael."

"I'm sorry, Andy, but you know you still love me." He teases as he winks at me.

"The jury's still out on that one." I reply, causing a chorus of 'oohs' to rise from the guys. Michael just crosses his arms, as he continues to pout. "I'm just kidding, Mikey. You know you're still my friend."

"But I'm your best friend." Luke laughs as he winks at me with a confident smile. I just return the smile, ignoring the flood of emotions running through my dizzy head.

Luke and I spent the next few days watching netflix, joking, teasing each other, running around like idiots, and yes, going on mini-dates as we started referring to them. "Calum, how many times do I have to tell you to put on a shirt!" I shout covering my eyes as I walk into the kitchen.

"What, you don't like what you see?" He teases as he walks out of the room.

"No, Calum. I do  _not_. Especially now that I've been mentally scarred by you these past three days." I shout back at him, and Ashton laughs at me.

"Hey, at least he had on actual pants this morning."

"Ew. Don't remind me." I shudder at the thought of what happened two mornings ago. I walked into the kitchen to get myself my morning cup of 'let's not murder anyone today,' when I saw Calum in his boxers. "I swear, he's going to be the reason I end up in the loony bin."

"Hey, love. Are you feeling any better this morning?" Luke asks as he kisses my temple. I smile at the nickname, even though I said goodbye to cold medicine Andy late yesterday afternoon.

"I was--until Calum decided to not wear a shirt this morning." I shout over my shoulder and hear his laugh echoing from the other side of the house. "What about you?"

"Definitely feeling better. Plus, my voice is finally back to normal." He tells me with a smile as he grabs some cereal from the cupboard. "I think I'll join the guys at the studio today."

"That's fine with me, Mason said he'll take you. I'm taking an extra day to make sure I'm finally recovered."

"That's fine. Don't forget to let us know if you need anything." Luke tells me with a smile as he sits down at the table with his breakfast.

"Dude, those songs you wrote on the trip are turning out really great." Ashton comments to Luke with a cheerful smile, but Luke just makes a motion for him to be quiet.

"You wrote more songs on the trip? Why didn't you tell me?" I ask, slightly hurt seeing as how I've been giving the guys my opinions on most of the album. Ashton just looks at me and Luke repeatedly, obviously realizing some mistake he must have made. "Okay. Spill, what are you not telling me?" I ask glaring at the two of them.

"What are we not telling who?" Michael asks groggily as he pours himself a coffee.

"Michael, do you know anything about the songs Luke wrote while we were on the trip?" I ask him, crossing my arms and watching him closely.

"Oh, yeah, but we're not supposed to tell you about those yet."

"Yet?" I continue to question, but Michael ignores me as he drags Ashton out of the kitchen. "Luke, seriously, what's going on?"

"Well." He stutters, rubbing the back of his neck as he avoids looking at me. "I may or may not have written some songs about you?"

"Okay. Why is everyone so freaked out about me knowing? I mean, are they bad or something?"

"No. No, they're definitely not." Luke assures me. "I just wanted it to be a surprise? Plus, they're mostly about us. My crush on you, how I felt about you, and how we finally admitted to liking each other."

I bite my lip to keep from smiling like an idiot. Gosh, what is this boy doing to me? Before this summer, I would never have been like this. "When can I hear them?"

"You're not mad?" Luke asks with his classic, dorky smile and blue eyes lit up with happiness.

"Why would I be? Now, tell me. When can I hear them?" I pester him.

"How about I take you out on Friday? We can go on another date, and I can let you listen to them then." He offers, and I nod excitedly. "On one condition though--" I wait for him to continue, slightly panicked as to what he's thinking. "--you show me more of  _your_  music."

I roll my eyes and smile up at him. "I think I can handle that."

"Perfect." Luke smiles taking a step towards me. "It's a date then." He quickly kisses my cheek before walking away to get ready with the rest of the guys.

After they all leave, I get myself comfortable with bundles of blankets, my guitar, and Netflix. I decide to start writing some new songs, and include a couple concepts with a decidedly lighter tone. I strum out random chords on my guitar as I rewatch Friends, occasionally stopping to write down a good set of chords or lyrics that popped into my head.

When I get enough of a song put together, I run to my room as I text my band to get on Skype. It takes about twenty minutes for everyone to get online and us to get a group call going. Each of us sits in silence for a moment, just staring at the other faces on the screen. "Sorry, I haven't called sooner, guys."

"Oh, you have a lot more than just that to be sorry for, honey." Luke--who for the sake of my own sanity, I'm going to start calling by his nickname--sasses me. "You told Skylar and Danny that you had a crush before you told your  _best friend_?"

I laugh, sighing in relief when I realize it was nothing serious. "I only talked to them about it because I didn't realize I liked him at that point. Plus, I needed a  _girl's_  advice, and as much as I love you, Skywalker, you're not a girl."

"It still hurts that you didn't tell us he asked you out." Damian complains, and the rest of them nod in agreement. "Speaking of which, I'm assuming it went well."

"Why would you assume that?" I ask him, but Danny interjects before he can get a word out.

"You look too happy for it to not have." She tells me with a cheeky smile. "So spill, I can't wait any longer. Plus, having to listen to them complain about not hearing from you is torture."

I tell them the whole story of our first date, including Calum's interrupting us but Luke still kissing me. By the time I move on to what's been going on the past few days, I'm completely uninterrupted as they all listen--practically enthralled. Skylar ends up squealing multiple times throughout the story, Damian and Danny quietly share knowing looks, Skywalker makes sarcastic comments, and Matt saves his reaction until I'm finished. "Andy's got a boyfriend. Andy's got a boyfriend." He sings through laughs, and the rest of the group quickly joins in.

"I do  _not_  have a boyfriend!" I argue. "I mean, we've gone out, but we haven't put any labels on it yet."

"Be prepared. From what it sounds like, he's bound to ask you soon." Skywalker teases. "I'm just so happy for you, Andy. You  _finally_  found someone that makes you blush, giggle like a girl, and treats you well. Who knew, your jerk of a dad would lead you to finding happiness?"

"What are you talking about? I was happy before this summer started." I snap, feeling a bit defensive.

The group stays silent, but Matt speaks up, shaking his head at me. "Not like this. You were happy, but this is different. You're more  _you_. You're smiling bigger, you don't look so exhausted and weighed down. No matter how much you don't want to believe it, but Luke's making you happy, Andy. In a way that we've never seen you before." Matt lectures me, and I know--no matter how much I wish to deny it-- he's right. Luke makes me happier than I can ever remember being. "You love Luke Hemmings." Matt states.

"Wow, Matt. I don't think she's quite there yet. I mean they just started dating." Damian tells him for me, since apparently I'm frozen.

"Maybe." He says casually and shrugs, but we all know Matt has a talent for realizing people's feelings and relationship outcomes long before anyone else. Although, I think this is one time that he's wrong. I mean, he has to be. Right?

We quickly moved past Matt's comment, and ended up talking for hours about our plans for the rest of the summer, music, and what's been going on since we last hung out as a group. I stop when I hear the front door unlock. "Oh, I think the guys are back from the studio. I'll talk to you guys later." I tell the group.

"Okay. Bye, Bandy." Skywalker calls with a cheerful smile as he logs off.

"Bye, babe." Danny and Damian wave as they too, log off.

"Don't forget to tell Michael 'thanks for the shoutout.' Also, let Luke know him and I are going to have a serious conversation soon. I need to get to know this guy, if he's going to be your boyfriend."

"Sure thing, Skye." I tell her, logging off before heading into the living room. "I wasn't expecting you guys to be done so--." I start to say to who I expected to be the guys, but my voice tapers off when I see who it is. My eyes start watering up, my throat feels tight, and I have to keep myself from shaking as I run into his arms.

He just chuckles at me, picking me up like I'm nothing and holding me tight. "Hi, Ducky. I missed you." My big brother, Nico, laughs as I practically sob into his shoulder.


	27. Chapter 27

"I can't believe you two got yourselves sick." Ashton says ruefully as he hands Luke and I each some medicine and tea.

"How did you even manage to get caught in the rain?" Mason asks us and hands me one of his sweatshirts.

I turn to Luke, nearly laughing at his guilty expression. " _Someone_  thought it would be a good idea to take a 'shortcut' through the park. We got caught in the rain, and now we're sick."

Mason just shakes his head for a moment. "Well, I'm going to take the others to the studio. Do me a favor, Andy. Don't give Luke a hard time. I remember how rambunctious and different you can be on cold medicine."

"Shut up, Mason." I roll my eyes at him as I wrap myself in the blanket and his sweatshirt. The cold medicine only takes a few minutes to kick in after they leave, and my mind starts becoming fuzzy around the edges.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Luke asks after a few minutes of silence. I quickly reply, and we both start laughing at how ridiculous we sound.

"What are we watching?" I ask him as he grabs the remote, flipping through Netflix.

"Ever seen How I Met Your Mother?" He asks me, pausing over the title of the show.

"Nope."

"What? It's one of my favorites." He tells me as he looks at me with mock terror. "It's decided then. I'm making you watch it."

"Fine with me." I shrug in reply and lean into the couch cushions--simultaneously leaning into Luke.

I giggle--something I would  _never_  do without the stupid, cold medicine--when Luke tenses up. "Andy, w-what are you doing? Are you feeling okay?" He stutters clearly nervous and wondering why I'm being so cuddly and out of character.

"Cuddling with you, obviously." I tell him, falling into another fit of giggles.

"Is this part of what happens when you're on cold medicine?" I just shrug in reply as I continue to giggle. Luke just laughs along with me, shaking his head as he gently wraps an arm around my waist.

A few episodes in, Luke and I are talking and laughing about the show. My head is resting on Luke's chest, with my arm draped over his torso. I keep catching myself almost drifting off to sleep as his hand rests over mine, gently tracing patterns into my hand.

"That tickles." I make the mistake of telling him as his fingertips gently brush my hand.

"Oh. So you're ticklish, huh?" Luke asks with a devious smirk on his face. I shout as I try to run away, but he quickly catches up to me, picking me up with ease as he puts me on the couch and starts tickling my sides.

"Stop! Please, I can't breathe!" I manage to yell at him in between laughter, but he just continues to laugh and tickle my sides.

"Only if you admit defeat." He teases.

"Never give up, never surrender." I shout back with the obscure movie reference. When he stops for a moment to give me another chance to give up, I take the opportunity to enact my revenge on the blond giant.

"Nooo." He shouts, as he tries to stop me, but I just laugh maniacally as I run away. "You can't hide forever." Luke calls as he tries to chase after me, which starts the three-hour game of hide and seek. Each time one of us finds the other we run around chasing the other until we manage to hide once again. I giggle to myself as I bury myself under the massive lump of blankets and pillows on the couch to hide from Luke. I can barely see him through a tiny gap of the blankets as he rushes in, clearly out of breath as he looks around for me. "Dang, she's fast." He laughs to himself as he shakes his head.

Luke looks around for a couple minutes, but still doesn't manage to find my hiding spot--or he never acknowledges where I am to say the least. I bite back a giggle as I throw a pillow at the back of his head. He looks around frantically and laughs when he sees me. He grabs the pillow off the floor and tosses it back at me. "I have an idea."

"Which is what exactly?"

"We make a pillow fort." I tell him like a little kid. Luke just shakes his head at me, his eyes lit up with amusement as he nods and helps me use the couch's many cushions and pillows to create a large fort. When we're done, I climb inside, piling up the pillows and blankets perfectly. "Are you coming or not?" I ask Luke, peaking my head out to look at him. "There's plenty of room in here."

"Don't worry, I'm coming, love." He chuckles, pausing for a second when he realized what he just called me. "S-sorry, it just kind of--."

"Don't be. I actually don't mind it." I smile at him as he awkwardly enters our little fort. "We didn't do too bad. Maybe we should become architects instead of musicians."

"Maybe." Luke jokes as he once again pulls me into his chest. We start the show back up, and I continually look up at Luke. "What are you looking at me for?"

"Nothing." I pause, looking away. "You just look really cute when you smile."

"Well, you look really cute no matter what." He compliments back, making my heartbeat quicken as I shake my head at him. "I'm serious, you know. I think you're beautiful."

I mumble back a quiet 'thank you,' as I pretend to focus on the show again. Instead though, my mind drifts to the gentle sound of his heartbeat and the way his fingers are running through my hair. I find it oddly soothing and smile to myself as I pretend to laugh at something from the show. "Hey, Andy." Luke says quietly, and I hum a reply as I look up at him. "Do you think this could count as a second date?" I just smile at him and nod my head. "Good." He whispers and leans in, placing a soft kiss on my lips.

"Did you want this to be a date so you had an excuse to kiss me?" I ask him smugly, not that I'll argue with his logic.

"Maybe. Do you have a problem with that?"

I bite my lip as I think it over for a second. Normal Andy would probably be uncomfortable in this situation and say 'yes,' but sick, cuddly Andy is too euphoric and lost in the moment to complain. "No, I don't." I reply, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before leaning back on his chest.

"Awww. They look so adorable." I hear Mason coo, and I mentally sigh at how much of a hopeless romantic he can be. "I wouldn't do that--" Mason warns, and I wake up with a shout when I feel someone land on top of me.

"Sometimes I really want to kill you." Luke groans shoving Michael off of us, and I try to pull the mass amount of blankets off of us.

"Why on earth did you think that was a good idea?" I complain, using a pillow to smack him upside the head. "Great. Now I'm going to feel even more achy and miserable." I stand up, sitting down on the couch next to Ashton, putting my head on his shoulder to shield my eyes from the bright lighting.

"I'm sorry, Andy." Michael pouts, opening his arms up wide as he motions for me to hug him.

"No. You don't deserve a hug." I tell him, sticking my tongue out at him.

"Can  _I_  have a hug?" Ashton asks, to which I nod and give him a hug. This sends Michael into a pout, which only worsens as I go around hugging everyone--except for Calum, who quickly joins Michael. "Cal, what did you expect? You keep ruining every moment between her and Luke."

"I can't help that I have a special talent." He jokes rolling his eyes.

"No, you just have terrible timing. Plus, it doesn't help that you gloat about it." I tell him as I walk into the kitchen to get some food. "Mason, please, tell me you brought me food."

"I didn't think about it. What do you want?" He asks as he follows me in the kitchen.

"Ummm... Chinese sounds good right now." I tell him with a smile.

"I should have assumed as much. Every time you get sick, you would always make Mom get you chinese."

"It makes me feel better. Plus, it's kind of became a tradition now."

"I'll go get you chinese." He tells me with a chuckle as he shakes his head and grabs his keys to leave.

I walk back into the living room to join the guys, but stop when I hear my name mentioned in the conversation. "So, have you asked her yet?" I hear Michael ask, and I lean against the wall to stay out of sight.

"Not quite yet. I mean, we just started going out." Luke responds sounding unsure of himself.

"Dude, it's obvious you two  _really_  like each other. Why not just take the chance and ask her? Is there really any harm in making it official?"

"Exactly. Plus, it's not like you two have to go public right away, if that's what you're worried about." I hear Ashton agreeing with Calum, and Luke sighs as the silence settles over the group. I give them a second before walking into the room, pretending as if I hadn't heard a thing. "Where did Mason go?"

"He's being an amazing twin and getting me food." I tell him with a smile as I lay down on the bundle of pillows and blankets from the fort. "I'm still mad at you for destroying our epic fort, Michael."

"I'm sorry, Andy, but you know you still love me." He teases as he winks at me.

"The jury's still out on that one." I reply, causing a chorus of 'oohs' to rise from the guys. Michael just crosses his arms, as he continues to pout. "I'm just kidding, Mikey. You know you're still my friend."

"But I'm your best friend." Luke laughs as he winks at me with a confident smile. I just return the smile, ignoring the flood of emotions running through my dizzy head.

Luke and I spent the next few days watching netflix, joking, teasing each other, running around like idiots, and yes, going on mini-dates as we started referring to them. "Calum, how many times do I have to tell you to put on a shirt!" I shout covering my eyes as I walk into the kitchen.

"What, you don't like what you see?" He teases as he walks out of the room.

"No, Calum. I do  _not_. Especially now that I've been mentally scarred by you these past three days." I shout back at him, and Ashton laughs at me.

"Hey, at least he had on actual pants this morning."

"Ew. Don't remind me." I shudder at the thought of what happened two mornings ago. I walked into the kitchen to get myself my morning cup of 'let's not murder anyone today,' when I saw Calum in his boxers. "I swear, he's going to be the reason I end up in the loony bin."

"Hey, love. Are you feeling any better this morning?" Luke asks as he kisses my temple. I smile at the nickname, even though I said goodbye to cold medicine Andy late yesterday afternoon.

"I was--until Calum decided to not wear a shirt this morning." I shout over my shoulder and hear his laugh echoing from the other side of the house. "What about you?"

"Definitely feeling better. Plus, my voice is finally back to normal." He tells me with a smile as he grabs some cereal from the cupboard. "I think I'll join the guys at the studio today."

"That's fine with me, Mason said he'll take you. I'm taking an extra day to make sure I'm finally recovered."

"That's fine. Don't forget to let us know if you need anything." Luke tells me with a smile as he sits down at the table with his breakfast.

"Dude, those songs you wrote on the trip are turning out really great." Ashton comments to Luke with a cheerful smile, but Luke just makes a motion for him to be quiet.

"You wrote more songs on the trip? Why didn't you tell me?" I ask, slightly hurt seeing as how I've been giving the guys my opinions on most of the album. Ashton just looks at me and Luke repeatedly, obviously realizing some mistake he must have made. "Okay. Spill, what are you not telling me?" I ask glaring at the two of them.

"What are we not telling who?" Michael asks groggily as he pours himself a coffee.

"Michael, do you know anything about the songs Luke wrote while we were on the trip?" I ask him, crossing my arms and watching him closely.

"Oh, yeah, but we're not supposed to tell you about those yet."

"Yet?" I continue to question, but Michael ignores me as he drags Ashton out of the kitchen. "Luke, seriously, what's going on?"

"Well." He stutters, rubbing the back of his neck as he avoids looking at me. "I may or may not have written some songs about you?"

"Okay. Why is everyone so freaked out about me knowing? I mean, are they bad or something?"

"No. No, they're definitely not." Luke assures me. "I just wanted it to be a surprise? Plus, they're mostly about us. My crush on you, how I felt about you, and how we finally admitted to liking each other."

I bite my lip to keep from smiling like an idiot. Gosh, what is this boy doing to me? Before this summer, I would never have been like this. "When can I hear them?"

"You're not mad?" Luke asks with his classic, dorky smile and blue eyes lit up with happiness.

"Why would I be? Now, tell me. When can I hear them?" I pester him.

"How about I take you out on Friday? We can go on another date, and I can let you listen to them then." He offers, and I nod excitedly. "On one condition though--" I wait for him to continue, slightly panicked as to what he's thinking. "--you show me more of  _your_  music."

I roll my eyes and smile up at him. "I think I can handle that."

"Perfect." Luke smiles taking a step towards me. "It's a date then." He quickly kisses my cheek before walking away to get ready with the rest of the guys.

After they all leave, I get myself comfortable with bundles of blankets, my guitar, and Netflix. I decide to start writing some new songs, and include a couple concepts with a decidedly lighter tone. I strum out random chords on my guitar as I rewatch Friends, occasionally stopping to write down a good set of chords or lyrics that popped into my head.

When I get enough of a song put together, I run to my room as I text my band to get on Skype. It takes about twenty minutes for everyone to get online and us to get a group call going. Each of us sits in silence for a moment, just staring at the other faces on the screen. "Sorry, I haven't called sooner, guys."

"Oh, you have a lot more than just that to be sorry for, honey." Luke--who for the sake of my own sanity, I'm going to start calling by his nickname--sasses me. "You told Skylar and Danny that you had a crush before you told your  _best friend_?"

I laugh, sighing in relief when I realize it was nothing serious. "I only talked to them about it because I didn't realize I liked him at that point. Plus, I needed a  _girl's_  advice, and as much as I love you, Skywalker, you're not a girl."

"It still hurts that you didn't tell us he asked you out." Damian complains, and the rest of them nod in agreement. "Speaking of which, I'm assuming it went well."

"Why would you assume that?" I ask him, but Danny interjects before he can get a word out.

"You look too happy for it to not have." She tells me with a cheeky smile. "So spill, I can't wait any longer. Plus, having to listen to them complain about not hearing from you is torture."

I tell them the whole story of our first date, including Calum's interrupting us but Luke still kissing me. By the time I move on to what's been going on the past few days, I'm completely uninterrupted as they all listen--practically enthralled. Skylar ends up squealing multiple times throughout the story, Damian and Danny quietly share knowing looks, Skywalker makes sarcastic comments, and Matt saves his reaction until I'm finished. "Andy's got a boyfriend. Andy's got a boyfriend." He sings through laughs, and the rest of the group quickly joins in.

"I do  _not_  have a boyfriend!" I argue. "I mean, we've gone out, but we haven't put any labels on it yet."

"Be prepared. From what it sounds like, he's bound to ask you soon." Skywalker teases. "I'm just so happy for you, Andy. You  _finally_  found someone that makes you blush, giggle like a girl, and treats you well. Who knew, your jerk of a dad would lead you to finding happiness?"

"What are you talking about? I was happy before this summer started." I snap, feeling a bit defensive.

The group stays silent, but Matt speaks up, shaking his head at me. "Not like this. You were happy, but this is different. You're more  _you_. You're smiling bigger, you don't look so exhausted and weighed down. No matter how much you don't want to believe it, but Luke's making you happy, Andy. In a way that we've never seen you before." Matt lectures me, and I know--no matter how much I wish to deny it-- he's right. Luke makes me happier than I can ever remember being. "You love Luke Hemmings." Matt states.

"Wow, Matt. I don't think she's quite there yet. I mean they just started dating." Damian tells him for me, since apparently I'm frozen.

"Maybe." He says casually and shrugs, but we all know Matt has a talent for realizing people's feelings and relationship outcomes long before anyone else. Although, I think this is one time that he's wrong. I mean, he has to be. Right?

We quickly moved past Matt's comment, and ended up talking for hours about our plans for the rest of the summer, music, and what's been going on since we last hung out as a group. I stop when I hear the front door unlock. "Oh, I think the guys are back from the studio. I'll talk to you guys later." I tell the group.

"Okay. Bye, Bandy." Skywalker calls with a cheerful smile as he logs off.

"Bye, babe." Danny and Damian wave as they too, log off.

"Don't forget to tell Michael 'thanks for the shoutout.' Also, let Luke know him and I are going to have a serious conversation soon. I need to get to know this guy, if he's going to be your boyfriend."

"Sure thing, Skye." I tell her, logging off before heading into the living room. "I wasn't expecting you guys to be done so--." I start to say to who I expected to be the guys, but my voice tapers off when I see who it is. My eyes start watering up, my throat feels tight, and I have to keep myself from shaking as I run into his arms.

He just chuckles at me, picking me up like I'm nothing and holding me tight. "Hi, Ducky. I missed you." My big brother, Nico, laughs as I practically sob into his shoulder.


	28. Chapter 28

"Nico, get back here." I shout as I chase my brother around the kitchen. "Don't you dare."

"Luke, get her! She won't hit you as hard!" Nico shouts as he rounds the kitchen table, being sure to stay just out of my reach.

"Don't be so sure of that, Hemmings." I yell as I continue to chase Nico, but I'm jolted to a stop when I feel Luke's strong arms wrapping around me, pinning mine by my side. "I'm going to get back at your for--" I shout at the blond giant, and he laughs shushing me as he puts a hand over my mouth.

"Hush, Ducky. I need to tell him this story." Nico laughs as he watches me squirm. I roll my eyes, of course, I'm ecstatic that my boyfriend and brothers get along, but I wish they didn't enjoy embarrassing me so much. "Okay, so my mom always wanted to have a dancer in the family. Since Ducky, here, was the only girl in the family, she was forcefully signed up for the classes. She was about 6 when her class's recital was the ugly duckling." Nico has to stop for a moment because he's laughing so hard. I feel Luke's laughter rippling through his chest as Nico continues the story, still holding me to his chest. "The recital comes around, and up to that point, we hadn't the slightest clue what her costume looked like. She came downstairs, looking like she was going to kill someone if they so much as glanced at her."

"Oh, no. How bad was it?" Luke asks me, and I just shudder against his chest at the memory of that hideous outfit. This only causes the two of them to laugh even harder, and Luke rests his chin on top of my shoulder, giving my cheek a quick kiss. They pay no attention to me, but I have to take a minute as they interact.

Over the past few days, Luke and I have gotten closer--not in a weird way. It's more like ever since we became official, he started to do more little things to make me smile and remind me he cares. They range from cute little cheek and temple kisses, insisting on holding my hand every time we leave the house, or even letting me us him as a cushion while we're doing something. It's really adorable honestly. At first, Nico was very uncomfortable with the whole thing, but once he warmed up to Luke, the two were instant friends.

I'm pulled back into reality when Nico doubles over laughing as he starts describing the stupid outfit. "The best part was since it was this bright yellow, she looked like a fat, radioactive duckling." He searches through his phone for a second before holding up an old birthday post for Luke to see. If Luke was already struggling to breath from laughing so much before, I surely thought my boyfriend was about to stop breathing entirely.

I try to squirm out of Luke's grip, but end up slipping on the kitchen's tile bringing down Luke with me. We end up a tangled mess of laughing idiots on the cold floor. "Don't laugh. That costume was felt even worse than it looked." I grumble trying to push Luke off of me, but he hovers over me chuckling at me.

"I can only imagine, but you still looked adorable, babe." He continues to chuckle as he kisses the tip of my nose.

"You're only saying that because you're my boyfriend." I shake my head at the tall blond as I try to untangle myself from him, but I still have no luck.

"No, I'm serious. You were adorable."

"Were? As in past tense?" I tease, and I hear Nico chuckling.

"Have fun getting out of that one, man." Nico laughs as he walks out shaking his head.

"Uhm, I mean--" Luke stutters, and I end up laughing at him. "What are you laughing at?" He questions as he pokes my sides.

"You. You look so cute when you get all nervous."

"Really?" He questions leaning towards me with a smirk. "Is there anything you else you like about me?" I decide to tease him for a moment, by pretending to think about my answer even biting my lip for effect. Luke just looks at me in misery as he whines. "Andy, don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Bite your lip like that. It makes me really want to kiss you."

"Really?" I ask him, imitating his tone and smirk from a moment ago as I lean in. "Good to know." I laugh at his reaction when I get up and walk out of the room with him following me closely. "What's going on in here?" I ask as I plop down in the empty space between Calum and Ashton--much to Luke's dismay.

Luke just grins like a devious toddler before sitting down on top of Calum. "Um, Luke?" Ashton questions looking at the two of them. Especially because Calum's asking like this is totally normal. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sitting next to my girlfriend and my best friend."

"Should I go and let the two of you share this moment?" I tease the two of them, quietly laughing as Michael stops what he's doing to high-five me.

"Yes, Andy, you should." Calum sasses back.

I pretend to look hurt as I keep glancing between the two of them. "Calum, I thought you cared. I guess I was wrong."

"Sorry, darling, but you can't come between Cake." He laughs, using the fans 'bromance' name for them.

"But, Cal, if I was your best friend. We could be Candy." I tell him with a smile. Luke just shakes his head laughing at me. "Wouldn't it be cooler to be Candy than Cake?"

"Oh, that is a good point." He says, obviously debating his answer. "Candy does have a nice ring to it."

"Are you going to betray me for Andy?" Luke whines.

"Yeah, I think I am," Calum states as he pushes Luke off and sticks his tongue out as he hugs me.

"It's okay, Luke. We can still be friends." I joke with him, and Mason shouts at us to not ruin his ship. "Did you seriously just call us Landy?"

"Yeah, it's your ship name." Mason laughs as he continues to help Michael untangle a bunch of wires.

"Okay, what are you doing?" I ask them, completely baffled by the bundle of wires they're slowly connecting to the TV.

"Setting up the karaoke machine for the party tonight," Michael says, throwing his hands in the air when he realized he only knotted the wires.

"Here. Let me help." I laugh as I sit down on the floor between them. It only takes me a few minutes to have all the wires separated and plugged in. "Done. Wanna test it out?"

"HOw did you DO THat?" Michael cries looking between the machine and me.

"I've had lots of practice. Now, tell me. Do you want to try it out?" I ask the whole group.

"Me first!" Mason screeches, his voice almost cracking in the process. The guys all look at me in worry, and I laugh knowing the horror we're about to experience. He ends up picking Super Bass by Nicki Minaj.

"Well, I think you can all tell where the talent in this family is." Nico teases punching Mason in the arm as he sits back down. "Andy's literally the only one of us who isn't completely tone deaf. It's a miracle."

"I wanna hear Andy sing next!" Ashton screams bouncing up and down excitedly. He even insists on choosing which song I'll sing. Although, he does take one of my suggestions about what type of song. "All right, you're up."

I take one look at his song choice before turning to him. "Really, Ash? Really?" He just nods proudly and chuckles as the song begins to play. "Are you sure you wanna hear me sing?"

"Yes!" The whole room shouts back, taking me by surprise.

I just nod as I start to sing along to the song. "I'm going to kill you for this Ashton," I tell him, making sure he sees me glaring at him right before I start singing one of their songs--She Looks So Perfect to be exact. Although, I will admit to changing the lyrics up a bit. The song finishes, and I notice all the guys chuckling. "Okay, now it's your turn Ashton, and I'm picking your song," I tell him smiling evilly.

"Really, Andy? This is just cruel." Ashton complains as the song starts up, but the moment he's supposed to start singing his whole demeanor changes as he belts out the lyrics to Fergalicious like a pro.

The whole group of us just look at each other in complete shock. "What is happening?" I ask Michael in horror, but he just shrugs as he continues to watch Ashton dance around while he sings. "Well, that was slightly disturbing." I attempt to shake the image out of my head as the guys all laugh at my expression. "I feel like it's burned into my head. This is Ashton's giggling all over again." I jokingly yell, causing another eruption of laughter.

"Babe, you wanna leave soon?" Luke asks, and I nod quickly heading to my room to change out of my sweatpants and make myself look normal. Calum ends up teasing Luke for calling me 'babe' once he thinks I'm out of earshot. "Shut up, Cal. You're just jealous because I have an amazing girlfriend." I smile to myself. He may have an amazing girlfriend, but I have an epic boyfriend.

My phone buzzes in my hand. The text simply reads, "hey, Alex. We need to talk. -P"

I grit my teeth, not in the mood to ruin a perfectly good day because of him. All I text back is a simple message of, "no. now delete my number."

The reply comes seconds later. "I can't. I need to talk to you--about us."

"There is no us. There never was, nor will there ever be. Now delete my number and stay out of my life." That seems to shut him up, and I brush it off as I continue to get ready for my date with Luke. Before we leave, I make sure to lock my bedroom door, leave my window slightly cracked, and a spare key in my pocket. It may be a bit paranoid or weird, but I would like to be sure I won't come back to find my room  _occupied_. "Luke! I'm ready whenever you are." I call throughout the house, but I quickly find him in the kitchen having what looks to be a serious talk with Mason and Nico. "Whatcha talking about?" I ask slinging my arms over my brother's shoulders.

"Nothing for you to worry about, Ducky." Nico teases sticking his tongue out at me. "Now, go enjoy your date, and don't even think about bringing her back before 10 o'clock." He shouts as he practically shoves us out the door.

Luke remains quiet throughout most of the ride, and I turn down the radio. "What's up?"

"Hmm?" He hums looking at me before realizing what the question was. "Oh, nothing really."

"Luke, we may have only been going out for a week, but I can tell when something's up with you." I insist as worry starts to gnaw at my stomach.

"I know, which is what makes you so perfect." I scoff at the comment, but he tries to convince me otherwise, changing the topic when he realizes there's no persuading me. "Andy, I promise, it's nothing for you to worry about." I park the car and turn to look at him, trying to see if I can read his thoughts through those impeccably-blue eyes.

"So, what exactly is this place?" I ask looking at the large, empty parking lot in front of us and the cluster of busy shops surrounding it.

"You'll see." He smirks as he quickly climbs out of the car, rushing around to open my door for me.

"You're such a dork sometimes." I laugh at him.

"Takes one to know one." He retorts, jokingly nudging me with his shoulder as he pulls me along. As we walk inside, my phone starts going crazy, buzzing ever other second, but not with a call, but texts. "What's that?" Luke questions when he sees my expression.

"It's nothing. Someone just has the wrong number." I lie, which causes a sharp pain to radiate through my chest. I hate lying--to anyone--but lying to Luke feels infinitely worse. What makes it all feel so much worse is that I'm lying about Peter--my so-called 'ex'--continuing to text me. A part of me knows I can--and should--trust Luke with this, but the other part would rather ignore it and deal with this on my own. Luke seems to notice my apprehension but decides to not push it. It will never stop baffling me how caring he is, and I start to wonder what I ever did to deserve him. "So, what do you have planned for this amazing date?"

"You'll see soon enough." He smiles giving me a quick kiss as he continues to drag me along.


	29. Chapter 29

"Luke Robert Hemmings, I swear if you do that one more time--"

"Do what?" He asks playing innocent as he skates in front of me.

"Make me fall," I tell him simply as I nearly fall over to avoid hitting him. Instead, he just wraps his arms around my waist until I'm stable.

"Alexandria Lynn Parker, I promise I won't let you fall." He encourages and slips his hand into mine as we continue to skate along. Yes, Luke brought me to an arcade/roller skating rink. How he found out I can't skate? I'm going to guess my brothers. They're the only ones who know how clumsy I am when I have wheels attached to my shoes, and I'm sure that they told him about the time I chipped my tooth because I fell during an early attempt.

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

"Would it make you feel any better if I fell down with you?"

"Maybe." I chuckle as we continue around the empty rink. "So--how did you manage this?"

"I made a couple calls and asked nicely." He tells me with a look of pride. "Random question," Luke tells me after a moment of silence.

"Random answer."

"Do you have any plans about what you want to do for your birthday?" He asks, which makes me wonder what he has up his sleeve. Unfortunately, my curiosity is overshadowed by the dread that comes with the mention of my birthday.

"Nothing. I've never really been one to celebrate my birthday. Most times I have a casual day with my mom and friends. The only thing that really makes it any different is we have cake. The last couple times I really celebrated didn't go very well." Luke just nods, and I appreciate that he doesn't need me to explain. "Why do you ask?"

"What would you think of actually celebrating this year? Nothing extravagant, but something to actually celebrate your birthday."

"I would say you have a lot of--" I don't finish my sentence because I hit a dent in the floor and lost my balance. Luke and I both fall down because of it. My knees hit the floor first, sending sharp pains up through my hips. The wind gets knocked out of me twice after that. Once when my stomach hits the floor, and the second when Luke falls on top of me. He quickly scrambles off, turning me over to make sure I'm okay. All I can manage is a small laugh and an "ow."

"Are you alright?" Luke asks again, still looking worried as he hovers over me.

"Yep. I'm just going to be a bit bruised the next couple days." I pause looking up at him before saying. "You didn't keep your promise, Hemmings."

"Well, at least I fell with you?" He laughs, unsure if that will help his plight.

"Correction--you fell on me."

"Is there any way I can make it up to you?" Luke asks, and I don't verbally answer. Instead, I get caught up in the moment and pull him closer. Luke gets the message and slowly leans in while I do the same. Our lips connect and I get the familiar feeling I get when we kiss running through my veins. I don't know what he's done to me, but I can't complain. Every time the butterflies in my stomach turn into a stampede, I feel like I'm weightless, or the most common— I feel like I have gasoline in my veins and he's the striking match.

When we pull apart, I smile up at him—at my amazing boyfriend. If only I could tell him how he makes me feel. I swear, I've never been able to open up to someone, be so comfortable in their presence, feel this happy, or like my genuine self. "I think that's enough roller skating for us." Luke laughs as he rests his forehead to mine, his voice barely above a whisper. "I don't want Nico beating me up for bringing you back covered in bruises."

"Eh, I've had worse," I comment nonchalantly as Luke and I try to stand up. Although, I'm pretty sure we didn't look like two teenagers, but a pair of newborn giraffes learning how to walk. We barely manage to skate to the side with our belongings without falling. "Give me your skates, I'll go return them," I tell Luke, who is now pulling on his black sneakers. I quickly take both pairs, setting them on the counter before I return back to Luke. When I walk up, he doesn't even notice I'm there, and it takes me a moment to realize why—he's looking at my phone. Stupid Peter. Wait... I freeze wondering if he'll be able to see the messages I replied with.

"Luke, why do you have my phone?" I ask tentatively, trying not to show my panic. Don't get me wrong, I only told Peter to leave me alone, but I also mentioned Luke— more specifically, my feelings for him.

"Why are you texting your ex?" Luke questions back, his voice cold and quiet. Great, he probably thinks I'm cheating on him or something.

I sigh, running a hand through my curly hair as I take a seat next to him. "He texted me this morning, and I told him to leave me alone. Obviously, you can see he won't listen, so I've been trying to get him off my back about it, by showing him I don't have any feelings for him anymore. I even told him I have someone else in my life."

We sit there arguing back and forth for what feels like an eternity. "How can I know that, though, Andy?" Luke shouts as he stands up to pace the floor, which is good. I would rather him shout than be cold about it, if he's shouting it means he cares about the subject and isn't resigned.

"Because, Luke, I'm your girlfriend. Even if I wasn't, you know me better than almost anyone else. You know how I feel about people cheating! I would never do that to you!" I shout back, and silence falls between us for a moment. I sit back down "Unlock my phone and read the messages before you start jumping to conclusions." I tell him trying to keep my voice soft, a part of me hoping he won't freak out when he reads it.

"Fine. What's the code?"

"0624," I reply without a second of hesitation. I changed it last week when we became official. It's the day we went on our first date. I know it's cheesy, but I have been needing to change it, so I went with a memorable. Luke took a moment to look at me before he quickly typed it in, and I internally scream as I watch him read through the "conversation" which was mostly Peter begging me to talk in person and to take him back. Although, I never saw any of the messages after what I said. It's obvious when Luke gets to it because his whole demeanor seems to change.

"Did you really mean that? Or were you trying to get him to stay away?" Luke asks me, but I look away nervously.

"I meant it," I whisper staring down at my fidgeting hands. This wasn't the way I wanted to say it, and I'm going to kill Peter for this if I ever see his sorry little face.

I bite my lip, forcing myself to not tell another lie to him. "Yes, I meant it. I was angry when I was sending him that message, and I barely realized I had said it until after the message went through." I whisper, my anxiety shouting horrible things at me. That all fades away when Luke makes me turn to him and lifts my chin so I have to look at him. I can barely see him through the tears that cloud my vision.

"Andy, why are you crying?" Luke asks, obviously worried.

"Please, don't hate me." Is all I can manage as I try to wipe the tears away, but they're only replaced by more tears. "Please, don't leave."

"Why would you ever think that?"

"Because that's what always happens, Luke. I get close, I start to care, and then something happens making everyone run." I don't even know why I've convinced myself that he's going to leave. "I can't lose you. I--I--" My voice falters, but Luke speaks when I can't.

"I love you too." He tells me, as he continues to wipe my tears before pulling me into his chest. "I love you, Alexandria Lynn Parker." I laugh at his use of my full name, and he smiles proudly having made me cheer up.

"I love you too, Luke Robert Hemmings." I smile as the words pour out of my mouth. Matt was right, and as per usual, he saw it way before any of us did. "I just wish we had said this to each other under different circumstances, or that I didn't tell my 'ex' I loved you before you."

"I don't mind. We said it, which is the most important part." He smiles down at me as I pull back from the hug. "I've actually been wanting to tell you that for a couple days now." He chuckles, and I just shake my head at him. How come he's always the one to realize his feelings before I do? Nevermind. Luke's eyes keep bouncing between my eyes and lips. I get the hint and pull him close. "I love you." He whispers against my lips, which makes me smile into the kiss.

I stare at Luke as we walk around the town, trying to analyze every detail about the boy who stole my heart from me without warning. It's like the world around me is fuzzy as my head spins from the euphoria of it all. Luke's hand traces patterns onto mine as he excitedly tells me something, but I'm too caught up in him to hear what he's saying. "Andy?" He asks, which snaps me back in reality. "Did you hear anything I was saying?" He asks with a chuckle as my cheeks turn red.

"Sorry, I was a bit spaced out." I laugh along with him. Luke grins, which shows off his dimple, and his blue eyes light up with amusement. "Don't laugh at me. So what do you want to--" I start to say, but I'm cut off by someone shouting.

"Alex!" He calls from a few feet away as he jogs towards us. Luke looks at me confused as to what's going on, but I ignore him, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"So what you're stalking me now?" I turn to the one person I feel such anger towards other than John. "I thought I told you to leave me alone, Peter."

"I'm sorry, but you know I can't do that." He says, taking a step toward me, but I take another away from him. "Alex, please, just give me a chance."

"No."

"Please, Malloy. I screwed up, and not a day goes by where I haven't felt bad for what happened. I miss you." He tells me, his brown eyes full of remorse, but I'm too resigned from what happened to feel anything.

I let go of Luke's hand as I step towards him. He starts looking hopeful, right up to the moment I start speaking. "I want to listen to me very closely, Peter." He nods, obviously waiting to hear what I have to say. "First, don't ever call me 'Alex' or 'Malloy' ever again. That's not my name. I'm Andy Parker now." I take another step closer, anger rolling through my veins. "Second, stay out of my life. If you came for forgiveness, you have it, but if you came hoping that there might be something between us--you're wrong. There is nothing between you and me, and there never was. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to enjoying my date with my boyfriend." I snap at him, turning around to walk away, but I'm yanked back by my wrist--hard.

"Alex—I mean—Andy, please. I want you back." He tells me, but I ignore him and try to pull my wrist away. When he realizes I'm not changing my mind, he gets bitter. "C'mon, baby. Do you really think he's going to put up with you like I did?"

I try to force his voice out of my head. "Let go of me," I tell him through gritted teeth.

He pretends not to hear me. "You really think, Mr. Rockstar over there is really going to stick around? I bet you he won't when he hears about all your issues." He spits each word at me like venom. All the while, I try my best to stay calm and keep Like from beating him to a pulp. Peter's grip on my wrist grows tighter and tighter, sending waves of pain up through my shoulder.

That's when I lose control. I barely register my free hand winding back and hitting Peter's nose. My stomach churns at the crunching noise that happens upon impact. Instantly, he lets go of my wrist, which is red from his grip, and I sprint away crying my eyes out.


	30. Chapter 30

I know he followed me, but I'm too angry at myself to notice. I stumble into an alleyway, my stomach churning for a second before the acrid taste takes over my senses. Tears stream down my face and I slide down the opposite wall. My elbows are propped up on my knees, and my hands shield my face from the world. "Andy, are you okay?" Luke asks me kindly, and I can hear him crouching down in front of me. "That was stupid. Of course, you're not."

He takes a minute to realize I'm not going to say anything or move anytime soon. Luke picks me up off the ground and holds me close to his chest. "I'm calling a cab to take us back." He whispers to me, pulling out his phone with one hand and rubbing circles into my back with the other."It's okay." He whispers into my hair comfortingly. Even if I wanted to, I can't say anything. My throats feel too tight, and I can't stop the sobs that shake my whole body. "I'm never going to leave you, Andy. Not if I can help it." When Luke says this, I feel like is what sends me over the edge. I wrap my arms around his waist tightly, just to be sure he won't leave me.

The cab ride back to the house was quiet. Luke refused to let go of me, and I was the same way with him. My wrist and knuckles were throbbing in pain. I barely managed a glance at them without feeling sick again. I split open a bit of skin on my knuckles, and my left wrist is already starting to swell and bruise. "We'll take care of that when we get back. Okay?" Luke checks on me for the hundredth time, kissing my temple as he gently brushes his fingers through my hair. I nod, looking up at him with puffy eyes and wishing this day hadn't become such a disaster.

The driver pulls in front of the house as close as he can with the cars that still litter the driveway and street. Luke pays the fare, and we head towards the house to see the party in mid-swing as people are slowly trickling out.

I don't say anything as I pull Luke to the side of the house where my room is. I get a decent foothold and push off it to propel myself into my room. Luke follows a moment after.

"I don't want them to see me like this," I whisper to him, and he nods clearly understanding what I mean. "I'm sorry you had to see that. I'm sorry I lost control." I bite my lip as I try to fight off another round of tears. "I never lose control like that. I swear, I've never intentionally hit someone like that before. I don't even know what got into me. It's just he was hurting my wrist, and he wouldn't let go. Then he started saying all those things, and I just snapped. I've never done that before." I babble, my words slurring together amidst the tears and hiccups.

He says nothing. Instead, he sits next to me, and pulls me close, whispering a smile, "I know." There's no hatred or disgust in his voice. Nothing negative, but I can hear it—the pain. "I love you. No matter what happens. I love you. What happened back there was self-defense, and after you left I lost it too. I made sure he knew to never speak to you like that again, or talk to you in general. You can't beat yourself up over this. Look at what he did to you." Luke says, his eyes welling up with tears as he gingerly holds my wrist.

"You aren't scared of me?" I ask, worried he'll run just like the others have done when they get too close or see my dark side.

"No. If anything, now I think of you as my kick butt girlfriend." Luke chuckles and his contagious laughter gets me doing the same. "I love your smile." He whispers his hand gently resting on my cheek as he traces over my cheekbones. "Actually, correction." He pauses for a moment, kissing my nose. "I love everything about you."

I roll my eyes at him. "I love you, too," I reply, smiling at the foreign words. "Can you get me an ice pack for this?" I ask him motioning to my wrist.

"Of course, I'll be back in a moment, love." He says tenderly kissing my temple, and making sure I know he'll be right back before he leaves. I take the moment of privacy to change out of my shorts and into sweatpants. I go to find a clean shirt— seeing as how mine is covered in tears and alley grime— but I don't find any since I forgot to do laundry. "I couldn't find an actual ice pack. So I brought you a bag of ice instead." Luke informs me as he walks back into the room.

"Can I borrow a shirt? I forgot to do laundry again." I mumble giving him an innocent smile.

"Will I get this one back?" Luke chuckles as he gently presses the bag of ice to my wrist. I wonder at the sudden chill but appreciate the numbness. "I still haven't gotten the one you borrowed last time."

"Maybe." I tease because we both know he'll probably never get either of them back. Turns out, I'm that girlfriend that steal her boyfriend's clothes and never returns them. "Plus, the sweatshirt still smells like you. It's comforting."

"And what exactly do I smell like?" He asks, a mischievous grin on his face as he puts his hands on my waist.

"Like your cologne and mint. It's an odd combination, but I like it."

He just shakes his head at my answer. "I'll go get one of my shirts for you. The party's winding down, so everyone is distracted if you want to sneak to the bathroom so you can clean up."

"That's probably a good idea. I'll just get your shirt before I clean up."

"Let me go grab it then." Luke smiles, looking proud at my improved mood. I hear him leave, and grab myself a fresh set of comfy clothes. "Here you go, babe." He says from behind me as he rests his chin on my shoulder. I look at the shirt he gave me. It's his infamous "YOU COMPLETE MEss" shirt, which he knows I love.

"Thank you," I whisper back, kissing his cheek before slipping out of my room and down the hall to the bathroom. I nearly shout for joy when I'm inside without anyone noticing. The water takes a minute to heat up, so I decide to brush my teeth while I wait. When the water hits my skin, I wish I could wash away the bad parts of today like I can the grime on my skin. Unfortunately, life is never that easy.

I quickly finish up my shower. Slipping my sweatpants and Luke's shirt on before heading back to my room, using my towel to dry my hair as I go. "Andy, how was the date?" Nico asks as he blocks my path. I start freaking out, as I move my towel so he can't see my wrist.

"It was good," I tell him quickly, feeling queasy for lying to him and from the smell of alcohol lingering on his breath. Nico isn't one to drink heavily, but he'll have a couple at social events. "Drink some water and go to sleep, Nico. You'll thank me for it in the morning." I chuckle as he pouts and walks away. I slip back into my room to find Luke sitting there, with my song notebook in his lap. "Find anything interesting?" I ask him with a raised eyebrow, and he looks up at me knowing he was just caught red-handed. "Don't worry. I'm not mad."

"Good, because I wanted to tell you these lyrics are amazing." He smiles at me, scooting over to make room for me on the bed.

"Thanks, I guess," I reply, draping a towel over my desk chair. I pull back the covers on my bed and climb underneath. Luke pulls me close to him, so my head is on his chest and his arm is wrapped around my waist.

"Are you feeling any better?" Luke asks me as he brushes some hair from my face. I just shake my head, unable to voice the thought running through my head. "Andy,--" He says my name softly, and sighing as he continues. "--I'm here for you. I'm not leaving you. I love you."

"I love you too," I whisper back to him. "I'm sorry about today. It was supposed to be perfect, and I messed it all up."

"You didn't mess anything up. Peter's thick head did." Luke laughs at the comment, and I do too. "Get some sleep, love. I'll see you in the morning." He tells me as he moves to leave, but I catch his hand before he gets too far.

"Will you stay? Please?" I ask him, only imagining how anxious I look from the thought of being alone right now. Luke nods, promising he'll be back in a minute. When he comes back, he's in a Nirvana shirt and sweatpants. I pull back the covers for him, and he looks at me nervously. "Are you scared to sleep under the covers with me?" I tease, feeling a little bit light-hearted.

"Nope. I was just imagining what would happen if your brothers caught us in the same bed."

I roll my eyes at him, patting the empty spot. "They trust me enough to know I wouldn't let you try anything. Plus, Mason would probably be too busy gawking at how cute we are."

"I guess, you're right." He chuckles climbing in, and once again holding me close. I lay there, listening to his heartbeat and the sound of his voice. When he thinks I'm asleep I can feel him looking at me as he whispers, "I don't know why you chose me, but I'm so glad you did. I love you so much more than you know."

I barely manage a smile as I mumble back an 'I love you too' into his chest.


	31. Chapter 31

My stupid wrist wakes me up at 4 in the morning, much to my dismay. I grumble at the pain and roll out of bed, well attempted to roll out of bed. I look down at me waist to see Luke's arm tightly wrapped around me as he pulls me back to him. My back is pressed to his chest, and he's still sound asleep. "Luke, let me get up for a minute."

"No." He mumbles groggily. "Just five more minutes."

"I need to get some medicine. My wrist really hurts." I whisper back to him as I gently pry him off. "I'll be right back." I smile at him as he goes back to sleep. A small snore escapes his lips, his hair messily falls in his face, but he still look as handsome as ever. I grab my phone from the nightstand, holding back a laugh as I take a quick picture of him.

A cabinet closes in the kitchen, which makes me jump at the sound. I look around the corner to see Nico pulling out a bowl and setting it on the counter. I walk into the kitchen silently watching him for a moment before he notices me. "Hey, Ducky. What are you doing up?"

I know there's no point lying to him, so I lift up my bruised wrist for him to see. He was bound to notice it soon. "My wrist was hurting. I came for some medicine."

"What the heck happened?" He questions as he gently looks over it, continuing when he noticing the marks Peter's fingers left. "Let me rephrase,  _who_  did this to you?"

"You remember my 'ex,' Peter?" I ask him, making sure to put air quotes around 'ex.'

"I thought you hadn't seen him since he moved away."

"Apparently, he moved here. I ran into him a couple weeks ago, but I got out of there when I realized it was him. He started texting me this morning, wanting to get back together and stupid stuff." I sigh, really wishing I didn't have to be telling this story right now. "Anyway, he tracked me down while Luke and I were on our date. He wouldn't give up, even after I said what I needed to. He grabbed my wrist, and I ended up breaking his nose before running away." I barely whisper out the last part, nearly crying again at the thought of how angry and bitter I was.

"Did Luke not do anything about it?" Nico asks, obviously mad at Peter.

"I kept him back, but after I ran off he made sure Peter knew to stay  _very_  far away."

"Good. I knew there was something I liked about him." Nico tells me with a ghost of a smile. "Go sit down in the living room. I'll grab you some medicine and bandages."

"Why do I need bandages?"

"You're wrist is pretty bruised. It's better to wrap it up than leave it be. Trust me, I know what I'm doing." So that's exactly what I do. I end up crying to Nico about my losing control, and how full of hatred and anger I was when I punched Peter. I even told Nico all the things he said. "He's wrong you know. I think Luke's too smitten with you to ever leave."

"You mean he loves me too much to leave." I whisper with a small smile.

"Yeah. Did you two finally say it to each other?" Nico asks with a raised eyebrow and smiles when I nod. "Good." There a bit of silence between us as he finishes wrapping up my wrist. "I'm glad you found him, Ducky. He seems to make you really happy."

"He brings out the best in me."

"I've noticed. Now, go get some sleep. I'm pretty sure you have something to do with the guys tomorrow." I nod my head and follow his advice. I double check the schedule for tomorrow's events

"Lovely. They have an interview and studio day." I whisper to myself. I make sure to set an alarm before I crawl back into my bed.

"Stay for tonight if you want to. I can show you, what my dreams are made of—" My phone blares the song, jolting me and Luke awake.

I search for my phone groggily and hit the screen until it turns off. "What's with the alarm?" Luke asks looking at me with his blue eyes glazed over from sleep.

"You guys have an interview in an hour and a half." I tell him simply still admiring how he can still look so good in the morning. "We should probably start getting ready."

"Just a little bit longer." He whispers resting head back down. "I never noticed you have freckles."

"That's because they never really show up. Plus they usually get covered in makeup."

"I wish you wouldn't cover them up. They're cute."

I just laugh at him and quickly kiss him before rolling out of bed. "C'mon, it's time to get up. Plus, we have to wake the others up."

"Wait." Luke calls, and I turn around to face him. He plants a gently kiss on my lips. "How are you feeling?"

"Better. Nico wrapped up my wrist, so that seems to be helping."

"Good." He says with a small smile. "Let's go try to wake the guys up."

I barely manage to get Michael halfway up by hitting him in the face with a pillow--repeatedly-- when I hear the doorbell ring. "Michael Clifford, get your lazy butt out of bed and sober up." I shout at him as I run to the front door. Most of the guys are pretty hungover from last night, which is unfortunate seeing as how their interview for Rolling Stones was pushed forward to today. "Luke, get the guys out of bed and make them drink  _lots_  of coffee. We need this interview to go well, which probably won't happen if they're all still drunk."

"Babe, don't worry. I've got this handled." He tells me with a smile, and the doorbell rings again. "You should probably go get that."

"Yeah." I nod running over to the door, checking my appearance one last time in front of the mirror. I pull open the door with a smile to see a middle-aged man who looks like he's still trying to pull a modern day, edgy look. "Hi, you must be Mr. Jeffrey from Rolling Stone."

"Yes, I am. You are?" He asks looking me over from head to toe, making me feel very self-conscious.

"I'm Andy Parker. I work as a managing consultant for the band." I pause, shaking my head. "I'm sorry for my rudeness. Please, come inside."

He says nothing for a moment as he steps inside and looks over the house with the same scrutiny he analyzed me with. "Do you mind if I ask you a question." He tells me, and I don't have a chance to respond before he asks anyway. "If you're a managing consultant for the band, why is it everyone thinks you're dating a band member? Wouldn't the rumors have gotten you reassigned."

"I haven't been reassigned because so far there hasn't been a substantial reason for me to be. Rumors are bound to pop up no matter who is helping manage the band." I tell him casually avoiding the question. "Can I get you anything to drink while we wait? The guys should be out in a minute."

"No, thank you." He tells me coldly and sits down on the couch. I sit in the living room with him, mostly because I don't trust him to not snoop around if he's left here alone. I nearly shout from joy when Luke walks out, quickly followed by a groggy Ashton. Mr. Jeffrey stands to his feet, quickly introducing himself to the pair. "I'm Theodore Jeffrey from the Rolling Stones. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. I'm Luke, and this is Ashton." Luke tells him with a smile as he directs Ashton to sit down.

"I'll go get you two some coffee and check on the other two." I give Luke a smile and reassuring nod. "Keep him talking." I mouth to my boyfriend as I walk back to the bedrooms. "Calum Thomas Hood, you better be out of bed, or I'm dumping cold water on you." I whisper-shout as i stomp into his room. He's not up, and I shake my head as I grab a bottle of water from his bed-side table. "Calum!" I shake him a couple times, but he just groans as he pulls his covers farther up his head. "That's it. I gave you a chance." I yank back the sheet and pour the water on him.

"What the--?!" He shouts, but I quickly cover his mouth.

"Be quiet. Your Rolling Stones interview was bumped up to today." I tell him and his glazed over eyes go wide. "So I need you to get out of bed and go into the living room. Just make sure to act like you aren't hungover if that's a possibility."

"Got it. I'll get some coffee." He mumbles as he starts walking out.

"Calum, you should probably get dressed before you go out there." I tell him, motioning to his bare chest. "We don't need The Rolling Stones interviewer scarred like me or writing about how you showed up without a shirt." He nods, and I leave him too it while I go get Michael. Luckily, he was already halfway up. Unfortunately, it took the same method as Calum, which is dumping water on him. Although, he was a lot less surprised about it than Cal was. "Come on, we need to get you some coffee and into the living room."

He barely protests as I drag him out. I put on my best polite smile as I walk past the group. "Are you sure there's nothing I can get you, Mr. Jeffrey?"

"I'm sure." He tells me bluntly before returning his focus back to the guys. "So what gave you guys the idea for your new album?"

I roll my eyes at the generic question as I walk into the kitchen. Three well balanced cups of coffee later, I'm nearly convinced I could pull off being a waitress if my singing career doesn't work out. "Here you go guys." I tell them with a smile as I set the mugs on the table. They all give me a grateful smile as they start to drink.

"Ah, now that Miss Parker has returned, I would like to ask you about the rumors that have been circulating." He asks tapping his pen against his notepad as I sit down on the loveseat across from Luke.

My heartbeat quickens, and I start feeling light-headed as the debate starts in my head.

I take a deep breath, trying my best to appear calm. Play the game, Andy. Do what you would if he was John. "Pardon?" I ask, but I don't wait for him to respond. "I thought you were here to interview the guys about the album. Unless Rolling Stones has started dipping their toes into the gossip realm?"

"Not at all. I was just a bit curious." He tells me with a devilish smile that makes me sick. I can see right through his polite facade. It's obvious he's not a fan of the guys, and I'm assuming he's one of those "old rock" farts that hates the people like the guys and I who try to bring something new to the scene. Now he's looking for any reason to tear them down. "Also, I think this is a question better suited for the band to answer."

"Rumors are rumors. They happen everywhere we go, but Andy's just a close friend to us." Luke comments, avoiding looking at me at all. He probably thinks I'll be upset at him, but I appreciate it. We've only been dating for two weeks and official for one. We haven't talked about when we're going public yet, but I know that when we do, it will be on  _our_  terms.

"Mhm." He stays silent, writing something down on his notepad as he continues. "Would anyone else care to comment on that?"

"Not really. Luke pretty much said everything." Michael tells him, leaning back into the couch as he takes another sip of coffee.

"Tell me. Have you put any thought about your upcoming tour at all? Any bands you're looking at to open up for you?" He asks, giving me another pointed look. He probably did his research and saw Michael's tweet about my band. I wouldn't be surprised if he turns this into a smear campaign saying the guys are impartial to my band because I've spent so much time with them.

"We've been looking at a couple different bands, but nothing has been decided yet. We still have a lot to consider and talk to management about it." Ashton says cheerily. The rest of the interview goes by the same way, with every question feeling like a double-edged sword. There are multiple times where I internally cringe at the answers given, but also plenty where I wish I could commend them for how they handle themselves. I do my best to stay out of it, since it's not my interview and I don't want him putting any more attention on me than he already has.

"Thank you very much for your time." Mr. Jeffrey tells the guys as he stands up, flipping his notebook shut with a smile. "It was a pleasure getting to meet you all--including you Miss Parker."

"The pleasure was all mine." I lie through my teeth as I escort him out. I sigh in relief when I hear his car drive away as I slide to the floor. "Thank goodness he's gone."

"What are you talking about? That wasn't too bad." Calum shouts to me as he walks into the kitchen.

"Were you in the same reality as I was? He was totally trying to find anything to slam you guys with." Everyone looks at me confused, and I continue to explain it all to them. "All the questions about the rumors? How he kept directing the topic to something other than the album? Did you not notice how his demeanor changed when he asked about who you were considering to open up for you on tour?"

"Are you sure you weren't just nervous for us?" Michael scoffs, obviously not believing me.

I turn to Luke to see if he'll support me, but he seems torn between what he previously thought and what I just told them. "Trust me, guys. Over the years I've gotten pretty good at reading people and finding their second hand motive. Side effect of growing up having to deal with John, I suppose."

"I don't know, Andy." Ashton turns to me from his spot on the couch. "I will admit something seemed--off, but I don't know if he had some ulterior motive."

"If you don't want to believe me, that's fine. I know people, and I know what I saw." I tell them with an indifferent shrug. If they choose not to believe me, that's fine. It doesn't change the truth, but they'll find out I was right soon enough. "Please, tell me you at least believe me." I ask Luke, and he just shrugs. "Really?"

"I think you might be right. It was kind of weird how he kept asking off the wall questions. Plus, it was weird how he kept glancing over at you." He tells me with his face contorted in thought.

"I noticed." I pause for a second. "Hey, thanks for answering that question about the rumors."

"No problem. I figured we probably should wait a little bit before we decide to go public. Plus, we should be able to do it when we decide to, not when some silly interviewer wants the headline." He tells me, and I can't help but smile at him. "What?"

"Nothing. That's just exactly what I was thinking." I give him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Just so you know, whenever you want to go public, I'll be ready." A yawn escapes my lips, causing Luke to laugh. "For now, I'm going back to sleep for a couple more hours."

"Okay, I'll get you up in a couple hours." Luke tells me giving me a quick kiss, whispering an 'I love you' into my hair so the others can't hear. I whisper it back before I walk into my room and crash, exhausted from the few short hours I've been up. "Andy, wake up. We have to leave for the studio soon." Luke whisper as he gently shakes my shoulder.

"Do we have to?" I whine groggily as I pull the blankets back up to my chin.

"Yes, we have to." He laughs at me. "Plus, you'll finally get to hear more of the album."

"Fine. I'm up. I'm up." I joke as I climb out of bed.


	32. Chapter 32

"Stop that! I'm trying to focus!" I laugh as I smack Michael's hand away from my hair. We've only been at the studio for twenty minutes, and they've made it their mission to bug me until Mr. Montgomery arrives. "Seriously? Give those back!" I shout to Calum after he pulls the headphones off my ears.

Someone clears their throat from the doorway, and I turn around expecting it to be Mr. Montgomery. I couldn't have been more wrong. "Hello, Alexandria, guys." John says with a polite smile and nod.

I involuntarily tense up at the sound of his voice. "Is there anything you needed in here?" I ask, doing my best to keep my voice level and polite.

He pauses, looking over me for a moment with a blank expression. A sigh escapes his lips as he speaks. "No, I guess not. I just came to check in and see how the album was coming along. Although, I think it's best if I leave for the time being." I simply nod, turning around as I pretend to adjust some of the levels on the sound board.

Mr. Montgomery arrives a moment later, and I do my best to forget that John was here a few minutes ago. Luke steps into the booth, giving me a goofy face before the music starts playing an upbeat song. "Runaways, we're the long lost children. Running to the edge of the world. Everybody wants to throw us away. Broken boy meets broken girl." He watches me the whole time he sings, and I have to bite my lip to hide my smile. Although, nothing can hide the bright shade of red my cheeks have turned.

I turn to the guys, who are all laughing at me and Luke's faces. "So I'm assuming you know who wrote that one." Calum teases, wiggling his eyebrows at me. I roll my eyes at him, since the answer is obvious. "Oh, my turn." He shouts as he runs into the booth.

About a half hour in and I have the song stuck on a loop in my head from the guys having to sing it so many times. I'm not complaining though, it's a catchy song, and the fact that my boyfriend wrote it for me makes it a hundred times better. "So do you like the song?" Luke asks me as he sits down next to me on the couch during our lunch break.

"I think it's great. I love the lyrics and the beat." I tell him with a smile. He smiles at me and nods with a devious smile on his face. "What's that look for?"

"I was just wondering—" he pauses, his smile growing wider which makes his dimple appear. "—do you love the song or are you saying that because you love me?"

"What if I said both?" I ask him with a smile.

"Both would be a good answer." He smiles back at me, but that stops when Michael sits down in between us.

"So, Andy, tell me. What did you think of the song?" He asks with an excited smile.

"I was just telling Luke I really liked it."

"Ha! Calum, you owe me twenty bucks!" Michael shouts across the room with a wide smile. I laugh as the two banter back and forth for a few minutes.

"Andy, I had faith in you!" Calum shouts at me, but I just shrug telling him I genuinely like the song. "I thought you we be more loyal to Candy."

"I am!" I cry pretending to be hurt. "Please, don't destroy Candy over this." Calum just looks at me for a moment, mimicking my hurt look.

"Fine. We can still be Candy, but I can't guarantee we'll ever be the same." He tells me after a moment. The group of us all start laughing a moment later.

"So, are you excited for your birthday, Andy?" Ashton questions with a huge smile.

"Not really. Should I be?" I ask looking at each of the guys in turn, who all just shrug. "Okayyy." I say thoroughly confused. "If you're secretly planning something, just remember what happened the last time you tried to surprise me." I tell them with a laugh, and Luke just looks away in embarrassment.

"Why don't we let Andy hear some of the other tracks we've recorded?" Michael asks to change the subject as he heads over to the sound board's computer system.

"Yes, please!" I shout excitedly. So we spend the rest of the break listening to the songs that I haven't heard yet. Some of them are super upbeat, and I make the guys dance around with me. Mr. Montgomery comes back in mid-song looking at us thoroughly amused. "Sorry, Mr. Montgomery. We were just listening to some of the new tracks."

The guys all turn red in embarrassment, but Mr. Montgomery just shrugs his shoulders and laughs. "I don't have a problem with that. Music is supposed to be enjoyed." He says as he continues to chuckle. We continue out the rest of the session, and I see a very different side of Mr. Montgomery. "It was good seeing you again, Andy. I'll see you again in a couple days." He tells me as we leave.

"So what do you guys want to do for the rest of the day?" I ask as we pile back into the van.

"I don't know." Michael groans, and I get similar responses from the rest of them.

"What am I supposed to do with you?" I complain from the front seat as we continue to drive. "Why don't we have another gaming tournament. Since Nico is still here, I'll actually have a bit of competition."

"Are we not competition enough for you?" Calum asks me from the back seat, and I just laugh in response. "I almost beat you that last time! It was a close game."

The whole car erupts in laughter. "Whatever you say, Cal." I tease. We walk into the house to find it almost silent. "You guys get everything set up. I'll get Nico." I tell them over my shoulder as I walk down the hallway. His bedroom door is open and I walk in to find him hunched over my laptop smiling at the screen. "Hey, big bro." I wave as I lean against the doorframe.

"Hey! Mom was wanting to talk to you." He informs me as he turns my laptop around.

"Oh, okay. The guys and I were going to have a gaming tournament. I'll be out there in a minute." I tell him as I take the laptop from him and smile at my mom. "Hi, Mom! I'm sorry that I haven't called you sooner. Things have been really crazy here."

"So I've heard." She tells me with a kind smile. "Now, tell me something, Andy. Why is it I have to hear from your brother that you have a boyfriend?"

My cheeks burn at the question, and I repeatedly open my mouth to answer. Although, nothing seems to come out. "I--Well, um." I pause, taking a second to gather my thoughts. "To be perfectly honest, it all happened rather quickly. I'll tell you the whole story if you want to hear it."

"Of course, I do! I need to know all about this boy that seems to be making my daughter so happy." She smiles at me, and I tell her pretty much the whole story of how we became a couple. "It really rained on your first date?"

"Yeah, it was pretty much a disastrous situation, but then we ended up talking all night." She waits impatiently for me to continue, silently asking me a question. "I get the feeling your trying to ask me something, but I don't know what it is."

"Did he kiss you at the end of the night?" She asks with a wide smile. I bite my lip with burning red cheeks as I nod. "Aw! You're first real kiss!" My mom squeals in excitement, and a moment later a familiar face appears on screen.

"What? Did I hear you say Andy had her first kiss?!"

"Uncle Jamie!" I shout, making him jump. "What are you doing in NYC?"

"Well, I was going to visit my favorite niece for her birthday, but when I got here, your mom said you were in LA all summer." He asks looking confused. "Let me guess, my brother conned you out there?" I nod, and he rolls his eyes.

"Can you come down when I get back? We can have a belated celebration." I ask hopefully. My Uncle Jamie visits me almost every birthday. I would hate to not be able to celebrate with him.

"Of course! You know I take any chance I get to visit my little rockstar." He says with a wide smile, and I laugh at his nickname for me. "Now, what is this I hear about you getting kissed? Do I need to beat someone up for you?"

"No, Uncle Jamie. Trust me, I don't need you beating him up. The poor guy has already gotten the riot act from Phil, Nico,  _and_ Mason."

"Can I at least meet him?" My mom asks hopefully.

"Maybe later, Mom. We're still pretty early in the relationship to do the whole 'meet all of my family' thing. Although, he inadvertently met John and the guys." I tell her with an eye roll. "I promise, you'll meet him soon." I keep talking to the two of them, until Michael comes in the room looking for me. "I have to go for now, but I'll talk to you two later. I love you."

"We love you too, sweetie." My mom replies before we sign off.

"Is that your mom?" Michael asks excitedly running into the camera's view. "HI, ANDY'S MOM."

I roll my eyes at the crazy haired boy. "Mom, this is Michael. He's one of my friends, and Luke's bandmate."

"Oh! It's nice to meet you, Michael."

"Has Luke met your mom?" Michael asks me, and when I shake my head 'no' he runs away with the computer calling for Luke.

I groan, putting my face in my hands. Well, it looks like Luke is going to meet the rest of my family.


	33. Chapter 33

The next few days went by in a complete blur. Before I knew it, Nico was packing his bags to leave again. "I wish you didn't have to leave so soon." I complain as I repeatedly take clothes out of his duffel bag to delay him.

"Ducky, please." He asks, moving my hands away. "I don't have a choice. I can't stay any longer than I already have. I wish I could, but I just can't."

"I know. It's just, we never really get to see each other, and now you have to leave again." I whisper staring at my lap sadly.

"Trust me, I wish I could stay, but we'll see each other soon." He tells me with a smile. "I'm sure of it."

"How can you be so sure?" I ask him, feeling like I'm living under a raincloud at the moment.

"It's just a feeling." I stare at him blankly. "Go hang out with your boyfriend or something. I can't get anything done with you hovering."

"I'm not hovering!"

"Yes, you are, Ducky. Now go." Nico pulls me up as he speaks and pushes me out the door.

I sigh, walking around the house until I find the guys. Luke takes one look at me before wrapping me in a hug. He knows how hard I've been taking Nico leaving again. It's mostly because he found me crying in my room last night and stayed with me until I fell asleep. "Do you want me to come to the airport with you?" He asks, kissing the top of my head. I shake my head as I pull him closer.

"I don't want him to leave me again." I whisper, biting back the tears. "I might take my time coming back from the airport."

"Okay." We stand there, in the middle of the kitchen, and I can't help but feel content. "You want anything to eat?" Luke asks when we finally part. I just shake my head and ignore his judging look. I sit down at the kitchen table with the rest of the guys, who continue their conversations as they eat breakfast. I participate in the conversation here and there, but my mind isn't in it.

My heart drops when Nico walks into the room with his uniform on and duffel bag in hand. "So soon?" I ask as the selfish part of me wishes he had a later flight.

"Yeah." Is all Nico says. He walks over to Luke pulling him aside for a moment to talk. I watch the two of them—two very important people in my life. They talk seriously for a moment, and Luke consistently breaks away to look at me and smile. I return the gesture. A moment later, they break apart. "Ready whenever you are, Ducky."

"I'm far from ready, but let's go." I sigh and pick up the keys. We ride to the airport in silence, both of us to somber to break it. I pull up to the drop off curb as tears threaten to spill out every time I blink. I walk with Nico to grab his back and over to the line. "Call me when you land?" I question, but it sounds more like a statement.

Nico simply nods pulling me into a hug. "And I'll send you letters like I always do."

"Don't you dare leave anything out. I expect pages and pages of letters." He just laughs, which makes me laugh too. "Have a safe flight, okay?" Another pause as one tears falls. "I'm going to miss you, Nicholas."

"I'll miss you too, Alexandria." He whispers, and I know he's trying not to cry for my sake. "Make sure Luke takes good care of you. If not, I'm going to come beat him up to make sure he does."

"Sure thing." I tell him as I finally let go. He walks inside and takes one last look over his shoulder before disappearing in the crowd. I grab my phone and tap on the familiar icon. "Hey." I barely manage to whisper. "I just dropped Nico off."

"Are you going to be alright driving back?" Luke asks, and I can tell he's worried.

I wipe a tear from beneath my eyes. "Yeah, I think I'm just going to hang out the cafè nearby until I feel more level-headed. I'll call you when I'm on my way back."

"Sounds good, babe." He pauses, "Stay safe. I love you." A moment later, I hear someone shouting. "Well, Calum's done it again."

"He heard you?" I give a small chuckle. "Let me guess, he's running around the house shouting about it to Michael and Ash?"

"And Mason. He came by not too long after you left." I hear a bunch of laughter on the other side of the phone. "I have to go deal with them. I'll talk to you when you get back. Just remember to text me when you're on your way.

"I will." I pause, as I climb back into the car. "I love you." He says those simple three words that make my heart flutter back, and I hang up before pulling out. A short drive away is a small little cafè. It's a little bit LA hipster, but I'm only here to clear my head. I order a cup of tea and sit down at a table by the window as I sip the hot liquid. Someone sits down at the table across from me, and I look up the stranger in confusion. "Um, I'm sorry. I think you have the wrong table."

"No, I'm sure I don't." The strange guy tells me, flashing me a grin. "You're Andy Parker, exactly the person I'm looking for."

"Maybe. Who are you?"

"I'm John Stevens. I work as an intern for Buzzfeed." The moment the words leave his mouth, I roll my eyes grabbing my tea and stand. "Look, I'm not here for a story." He pauses and corrects himself. "Okay, maybe I am. The thing is, I need something big to get my supervisor to take me seriously."

"Sorry, I don't have a story. So, it looks like you wasted a trip." I tell him. He looks at me pleadingly. "Look, I wish I could help you. I really do, but I can't. Now, if you'll excuse me." I tell him as I walk out the door, texting Luke. "Hey, I'm on my way back. Keep an eye out for paparazzi, someone just approached me for a story. I didn't give him anything, but I'll explain more when I get back."

"Alright. Even if they try to spin some crazy story, we can handle it together. :)" He responds. I smile at the text, happy that I have him in my life. The engine roars to life the moment I turn the key, and I start driving back to the house.

Traffic isn't too bad at the moment, so I drive along with the radio on. I end up hitting most of the lights when they're green, which I'm thankful for. Unfortunately, my luck quickly changed. I continue through an intersection when I hear a car horn blast. I look to my left and see a truck heading right towards me. There was no time to react before his car smashed into mine, and everything went black.


	34. Chapter 34

Ow. My head hurts, and so does my leg, and my ribcage. What even happened? My eyelids feel heavy, but I manage to open them. It takes me a moment to realize my neck is stiff and a wailing siren fills the air. "Ma'am, can you hear me?" A paramedic asks me as he shines a light in my eyes.

"Yeah."

"Good." The woman says, putting the light away. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Andy Parker." I tell her simply as questions fill my head. I open my mouth to ask her something, but she cuts me off trying to find an emergency contact number. Apparently, my phone was destroyed. Mason's number is the only one I have memorized, so I give her that one. "What happened?"

"A driver was on his phone and ran a red light. He hit your car, and you were pinned in." She informs me as she calls for an eta from the driver. "We'll be at the hospital in a minute. Don't worry, Andy. You'll be okay."

A few moments later, they're pulling the gurney out of the ambulance and into the hospital where doctors rush around me. I find out that I have a minor concussion, a fractured leg, and a bruised rib. From what I understand, it's not that bad considering the state the van was in. I lay in a sterile, white room. "We called your brother. He's on his way." The nurse tells me grumpily.

"Please, tell me someone let him know I'm not seriously hurt." I ask her, and she just looks at me with a raised eyebrow. "You know what I mean. Obviously, I'm not in critical condition."

"Honey, a concussion and a bruised rib are pretty serious." She sasses me. "I don't know if they told him or not. The receptionist is in charge of calling people--not me." I start to fidget uncomfortable from the itchy gown. "Do I need to have them sedate you? Or are you going to stop wiggling around?"

"I'll stop." I promise her, already wishing I had a less grumpy nurse. Nevertheless, she tells me to get some rest. The heart monitors constant beeps fill the room. Other than that, everything is eerily quiet. My eyelids start growing heavy from the pain medication they have me on, but I keep myself awake.

Shouts wake me up, and I look around confused about where I am for a moment. "Let me see my daughter or I will sue this hospital for everything it's worth." I hear someone shout, the voice sounds familiar, but I doubt he would ever say anything like that. John bursts into the room a moment later, looking rattled. "Thank goodness, you're okay." He sighs when he sees me.

"What are you doing here?" I ask him in surprise. My voice doesn't sound bitter, just tired. Tired from the medication and not wanting to deal with John. "Did you come to tell me I should have been more careful when I was driving?"

"Andy," He sighs, and I realize that's the first time he's ever referred to me as that. "If you must know I was worried about you. Also, they needed a parent to come sign some of the forms."

"You were worried about me?" He looks at me with bags under his eyes.

"Of course, I was worried. All they told me on the phone was that you had been in an accident." John sits down in one of the room's chairs, and for the first time, he looks defeated--broken. "I'm sorry about what I asked you to do."

"Am I hallucinating? Or did you really just apologize?" I wonder, but John just nods. "What made you realize you were wrong?"

"Stacie." He pauses, noticing my expression. "I know you don't like her because I remarried, but she makes me want to be a better person." I bite back a sarcastic comment, not wanting to risk something else happening. "After you stormed out, she grilled me until I told her what happened. She made me realize I was wrong to try to use you like that."

"I-I-I forgive you." I stutter the words out, but there's still a tension in the room. He has something much larger that he still has yet to apologize for. Baby steps, though. I guess it would be selfish to expect him to suddenly apologize for making the past years of my life miserable. Silence continues to linger until it's broken by another round of shouts from the hallway. "That's probably the guys." I sigh and shift around uncomfortably while I wait for them to barge in.

Mason and Luke are the first ones to run in, and both of them look me over in panic. I can barely make out a word either of them is saying from the speed they're talking at. "Are you okay? What happened?" Are all I'm able to decipher from their mouths. I open my mouth to cut them off, but John does it for me, which I give him a glare for. "She's fine. The doctor said she has a minor concussion, a fractured leg, and a bruised rib."

"Plus, my phone gave me a black eye before it flew out the window." I add on with a small chuckle, but grab my rib from the pain that a small chuckle causes. "Sorry, I can't really laugh at the moment."

"Thank goodness. All we were told on the phone is that you were in a wreck." Mason tells me with a relieved sigh. "How are you feeling?"

"Bruised and a bit miserable. Under the circumstances, I'm doing all right." I tell him with a small smile, and I turn to Luke expecting him to say something. He just stays silent as he watches me intently. "Can I have a minute with Luke?" I ask John and Mason, who nod before leaving the room. "Luke, are you okay?"

"You scared me." He tells me with a ghost of a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "I'm glad you're okay though. I was really worried for a bit there."

"There's way you're getting rid of me that easily." I tell him with a smile and extend my arms to him. "I need a hug right about now." Luke just shakes his head and chuckles at me, but comes to give me a hug nevertheless. "I'm sorry for scaring everyone like that. They wouldn't let me call anyone while they were checking on me, and my phone is pretty much destroyed." I whisper into his shoulder as both of us refuse to pull away.

"It's not your fault." He whispers as he pulls back and kisses my forehead. "The rest of the guys probably want to see you too." Luke turns to go get them, but I grab his hand to keep him here for a moment longer. "What's wrong?" He questions, obviously having noticed my worried look.

"Nothing." I pause and take a deep breath as I whisper. "I love you."

He smiles at me and gently kissed my forehead. "I love you too."

When the guys came in, my head started to spin from all the questions. "I'm fine. I promise. I just have to stay here for a couple days and have a boot for a few weeks."

"Wait, so you'll have to wear the boot on your birthday?" Ashton questions, and I nod sadly. "That doesn't sound like much fun."

"Trust me, Ash. I've had worse things happen to me on my birthday." I tell him with a small laugh. "Anyways, on to happier topics. What should we do to make this boring place interesting, since I'm stuck here for the next couple days?"

"Oh, no. Don't you start getting any ideas, Missy." The cranky nurse scolds me as she walks in with a tray of fresh bandages and a few needles. "You're going to be in that bed until the doctor says otherwise."

"Aw. Nurse Annie, you're no fun." I complain with a slight giggle as the boys all roll their eyes and imitate her behind her back. "Do you ever do anything other than violently stab patients with needles? Anything that normal people find fun?"

"No." She tells me as she peers at me over the rim of her glasses. "Now, I'm sorry, everybody. You're going to have to leave. Andy needs her rest, whether she likes it or not."

Michael just looks at her with a childish begging face. "Five more minutes, Nurse Annie?" The guys and I all join in, and she watches us with a raised eyebrow and amused expression. "All we ask if for a few more minutes."

"Nice try, but maybe tomorrow." She chuckles as she shoos them out. Luke manages to stay behind a second longer and gives me a quick kiss before she start shouting at him. "Not in my hospital. Out you go, mister."

"Bye, guys. Don't forget the escape plan!" I shout as the door shuts on them. "You know, Nurse Annie. I don't think you're as bad as you seem."

"Now what gave you that impression?" She sasses back as she prepares to insert the needle into my IV.

"Because, you must have become a nurse for some reason. I'm officially making it my mission to find the heart under all that tough love." I manage through the yawn.

"Whatever you say." She laughs as I drift off to sleep. "I'll see you when you wake up."

. . . . .

"Don't be a bully, Luke. Please?" I beg through the phone, and I hear the rest of the guys joking around and shouting in the background.

"If Nurse Annie finds out she'll try to kill me again."

"She didn't try to kill you, Luke. A glare can't kill someone." I tease and laugh at my ridiculous boyfriend.

"No, but fear can."

"Luke, I'm serious. Please, be the amazing boyfriend I know you are and bring me some real food?" I pout my lip and wait for his reply. "Or would you rather I have Jackson come in here and lecture you until you agree?"

"Ugh. Now you're being the bully." Luke laugh echoes through the phone. "I'll bring you some food."

"Yay!" A loud clunking noise comes from the phone, and I laugh when I realize Luke must have dropped the phone. "Sorry, I just got really excited."

"I should have expected it." He laughs and pauses for a moment. "We'll be there soon. I'll see you then." His voice drops into a whisper as he continues. "I love you."

Unfortunately for him, one of the guys hears it and it echoes through the car. Shouts of "We love you, Andy," "I love you more than Luke," and even a "Candy forever," come from the his side of the phone.

"You're all idiots." I chuckle as I shake my head. "I'll see you guys soon." I hang up the phone with a smile. "Mason and the guys are on their way."

John nods, but his eyes look distant as if his mind is elsewhere. I squirm around in my hospital bed uncomfortably. The past few days I've been stuck here, John has frequently visited, and he seems to be serious about wanting to make things better between us. "I have to leave soon. It's going to be a long day at the office. Don't forget to think over what we talked about." He sighs as he stands up and stops in the doorway for a second. "Goodbye, Andy. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodbye, John." I force a smile as i wave at him. I keep thinking over what we talked about earlier. A part of me screams to say yes, if the rest of the band agrees that is, but the other half whispers to consider what could happen. Luke and the guys coming into my room is what pulls me from my thoughts. "Thank you." I whisper gratefully as Luke hands me a bag of food. "You have no idea what kind of a tragic excuse they call food here."

"I'll take your word for it, love." He chuckles as he kisses my temple.

"Andy, when are you getting out of here? It's not the same without you!" Michael whines and falls into the chair John was just in. "It's not the same hanging out with Mason."

"Hey!" Mason shouts in reply. Everyone in the room laughs, but we all know we're merely teasing.

"Don't feel hurt, Mason. It's kind of inevitable that I'm their favorite twin." The jokes continue on, but my mind takes me elsewhere. Unfortunately everyone seems to notice, but it's quickly forgotten with a pitiful excuse.

"Andy, Andy?" Ashton calls as he waves a hand in front of my face. "Are you almost ready? John is coming back to sign your discharge papers soon." I look up and notice the room is empty except for Ashton.

"Where did everyone go?"

"They went to go back to the studio for a bit." Ashton rests his elbows on his knees and looks at me intently. "Andy, is something wrong?"

"No, not really. I mean--I don't know, Ash." I sigh and rub my temple. "John and I had a conversation earlier, and it's been giving me a lot to think about."

"What about?"

I bite my lip and debate whether or not I should tell him. Although, I know Ashton is one my closest friend of the guys. "He offered me a contract."

"I'm sorry, what?" Michael questions reeling back in shock.

"John offered my band and I a record deal with his label, and I'm scared."

"Why?"

"'Why not' is the better question. He and I have had a troubled relationship, and we're  _just_  now getting onto good terms with each other." My voice goes away for a moment. "It's taken us years to even speak to each other in a polite manner. What if--What if taking a deal like this destroys that all again?"

I barely manage to look at Ashton, and his eyes are full of pity. "Andy, do you really think that would happen?"

"I would love to say that it wouldn't, but I know John. He always puts business first. Especially when it comes to me, he never thinks about his daughter, but what would be best for his business. I'm worried if I accept his deal, and it comes down to protecting me or enforcing a contract. I'm scared he would chose the contract every single time."

"Andy, I--" Ashton starts to speak, but the guys and nurse Jackson interrupt.

"Alright, missy. Are you ready to get out of here?" Jackson questions as he takes out my IV and disconnects the wires.

"But that means I won't get to see you all the time-- so no. You're sass and wit are what give me joy." I rest my head against my pillow and pout. "Can I at least follow you on social media? I have a feeling you're gold online, just like in person."

"Of course, darling. I'm going to miss my favorite patient." He smiles at me as he continues to disconnect me from the machines. "But John is signing the paperwork, so you should get ready to leave."

"Thank you for everything, Jackson." He just smiles and ushers all the guys out of the room, but I ask Luke to hang back for a minute. "I need some advice. Hypothetically, if I was offered a record deal with my band, but it could be harmful on a relationship. Do you think I should take it?"

Luke stands still for a moment. "Are you talking about John?" I meekly nod, and Luke sits at the end of my bed. "Andy, to be honest, I don't think I can be much help. Personally, if you think it will be harsh on your relationship with him, than I don't think you should do it. Although, it's also a decision you should talk over with your friends and maybe your mom, since it will affect them too."

I nod. "Thank you."

"For what? I just gave you my opinion." Luke replies with a chuckle.

"Because you're always honest with me, and I appreciate it more than I can explain." I pause for a second before continuing. "I love you."

"I love you too." He whispers as he stands up. "Come on, I'm sure you're ready to get home."

"You have no idea." I tell him with a chuckle as we head out. "So how has the last of the album gone?" I ask the guys as we all walk out to the van.

"We actually finished the second to last track today!" Calum tells me excitedly. "I have the last couple songs on my phone so you can listen."

"I can't wait to hear it." I tell him with a smile as I climb into the van. "I can't even begin to explain how good it feels to be out of there." I sigh as I lean back in my chair.

"We're glad to have you back, Andy." Ashton laughs as he ruffles my hair. "Even I have to admit that it's weird without you around."

"Yeah, if I'm being honest. I missed you dorks." The guys all laugh, and I turn around to notice Calum wiggling his eyebrows at me. "Do I even want to know, Calum?"

"I was just thinking that you probably missed Luke more than the rest of us." He pauses with a smirk on his face, and I wait for him to continue. Nevertheless, he and the rest of the car stays silent.

"Am I missing something? Why did everyone go quiet all of the sudden?" I look at everyone in turn, but they all stay silent. "Really, guys? No one is going to talk?" I stare down Michael, and watch as he tries his best to avoid me. "Come on, Michael. You can't avoid me forever."

"Sorry, Andy, but I can't tell you." Michael replies crossing his arms and avoids looking at me.

"It's okay, love. You'll find out soon." Luke laughs and kisses my temple. He wraps his arm around my shoulder, but I squirm and glare at him.

"I hate surprises. You know that, and so do the rest of you guys." I shake my head and ignore their constant chuckles and jokes. "Ugh. Sometimes I wonder why I put up with you guys."

"Because we're awesome, and you know it." Calum shouts from the back seat.

"Whatever you say, Cal." Mason pulls the car into the driveway, and I notice another car parked in front of the house. "Why is there another car here?"

"Oh, Stacie brought by a second car since you're going to be back. That way if one of us is out and the other still needs to go out." Mason shrugs from the front seat as he puts the van in park, and we all climb out. Something still seems off about the whole thing, but I ignore it as we walk into the house, and all I hear is a bunch of shouting.


	35. Chapter 35

All I hear are screams and multiple pairs of arms wrapping around me. "BANDY! We missed you so much." Matt practically yells in my ear. The rest of my band chorus in agreement, and I'm too tongue-tied from shock to answer.

"What are you? When did you get here? How?" I barely manage to stutter the words out. "Screw that, I'm so glad you guys are here! Only thing is, I can't really breathe."

"Sorry, Andy. We're just so excited to see you again." Damon laughs as he wraps his arm around my shoulder. "To answer your question, you might want to ask your  _boyfriend_  how we got here." My friends all chuckle as I look to him in shock.

"Luke?" I shout, and get two replies. One from my boyfriend, the other from my best friend. "Sorry, Hemmings. How did you manage this? Is this that big surprise you all kept hinting at?"

He just looks at me with a smirk and nods. "I may have asked them to come out as a little surprise for your birthday. Plus, I figured it would great for you to have some people from back home around." I walk over to him with a smile, completely ignoring the awful sound that my boot makes against the floor.

"Have I told you you're an amazing boyfriend?" He just nods and shrugs with a smug look on his face. I give him a quick kiss before I'm pulled away by the four idiots I call my best friends. "Can I not thank my boyfriend for one second?"

"No, Andy, you cannot." Skylar sasses as we all sit around the living room, with the rest of the guys trickling in after us. "So, tell us everything we've missed since you left."

"But that's so much stuff. Why can't we just have a band night?" I whine as I lean back on the couch.

"Are you thinking what I am?" Luke asks practically jumping out of his seat. Then we say it in sync, "Band-fire night?"

"Yes. It's been forever since we had one of those." Matt cheers and runs out of the room.

"What is a band-fire night?" Ashton asks as we all scramble to get everything together.

"You'll see, but trust me when I say: it's epic." Damon says with a smile as he asks Michael to help him grab stuff.

"It's basically a bonfire, but with a band bonding add-on. Imagine a band night, meets high school bonfire, music, friends, and everything you want." I explain to Ashton and the rest of the guys. "Hey, Luke, can you help me grab my guitar and some blankets? Mason and Ashton grab some snacks. Calum and Michael, can you see if anyone else needs help."

A couple hours later, the group of us are crowded around a bonfire on the pool's lounge chairs. I share a seat with Luke, with his arms wrapped around my waist and his head resting on my shoulder. "So wait, let me get this straight. You two were locked out on a balcony when he asked you out, and when you finally went on your date, you guys got stuck in the rain?"

"Only after the waitress was hitting on him." I clarify with a laugh. "Okay, enough about my summer adventures. Let's get to the music."

"Sounds good to me. How about we let the guests start off with one of their new songs?" Skywalker suggests, as she hands Ashton the acoustic drum. I smile at the group and pick up my guitar. "Start us off, Bandy?" I motion to Skylar, who beams as she starts the count, and the rest of Tidal Wave quickly follows the beat. I strum the chords that I've come to know by heart as I sing out.

"A full moon's light on the subject,

Don't tell anyone what I know.

I've seen the truth, I've heard the lie.

If we forget, we'll get out alive.

Run, run away-- from all that you are.

Run, run away--forget what you saw.

"In the light of day, we can hide away--

(hide away)

But inside, this night--

I know I saw truth.

What would you give to forget?

The pain, the fire, and the flames

Of our love--

I could watch it burn for days."

I look around at my band, brother, and friends with a wide smile. We are all caught up in the music, which binds us all together in a strange way. I even hear Luke quietly humming along with the melody when the chorus hits. Ashton and Michael both nods their head to the beat of Skylar's drumming, and Mason and Calum are both jamming out in their own unique way.

"Of smoke and mirrors

And well played melodies

And lies that feel alright

And set a fever in my eyes.

If we pretend, how can this end?

If we believe, what could it be?

"In the light of day, we melt away--

(melt away)

But inside this light--

I know I saw truth.

What would you give to forget?

The pain, the fire, and the flames

Of our love--

I could watch it burn for days."

The last hook of the song ends with a flourish, which passes over us. I lean back into Luke's chest and smile as he places a kiss on my cheek. He keeps his voice in a low whisper, "You never fail to impress me, Andy."

"How come you sound so much cooler in person?" Michael asks with a slack jaw as his gaze alternates to each of us.

"It's a secret potion we make and drink in bulk." Matt teases in his usual manner.

"So, do you have anything else we haven't heard yet?" Ashton asks with a wide, hopeful smile, which leads us to playing music all night. Although, after a couple hours, the guys all wimp out for the night by claiming 'it's too cold out.'

"Night, guys. We'll see you in the morning." I call after them before turning back to my friends with a sigh. "I can't even begin to explain how happy I am you're here."

"What's bothering you?" Damon questions with a critical gaze.

"How did you know?"

"We realized it the moment we saw you." Matt explains. "We've known you for  _way_  too long to not know when something is up."

"So spill." Skylar pressures as she sets her stuff aside and leans forward.

"Fine. I needed to tell you about it anyway." I sigh as I run a hand through my faded blue hair and focus on my fidgeting hands. "John--he--he apologized for this summer at least. He also offered us the deal."

"Okay. I can understand you being upset, but tell us what's really bothering you." Luke asks as he watches my every move intently.

"What's bothering me is, I can't tell if it's genuine. Does he want to actually mend our relationship? Or is it an act to get us to take the deal? IF we take the deal, what happens then? Will we be stuck in a crummy contract, or will it put a strain on the possible mending relationship between John and I?" I pause for a moment to take a breath mid-ramble. "Plus, what happens if we don't get any other offers?"

My best friends all look at each other in silence as if passing along a silent agreement or opinion. "Andy, don't worry about other record deals. I think I speak for everyone when I say that doesn't matter to us." Damon starts and takes the seat next to me as he continues. "What  _does_  matter, is you."

"We just need you to be happy, Andy." Matt continues where Damon left off. "Screw John's label and anything else that brings us down. We're here for the music."

"As for the answer to his offer, it's up to you, but I think you already made your decision." Luke finishes, and I nod. He's right. My mind and heart seem to have known the answer the moment John made the offer, but maybe I needed my friends to help me realize it.

"You're right." I tell them with a smile. "So, what would you say to going to John's office tomorrow and giving him our answer?" We all smile knowingly at each other, and we figure out our plan for tomorrow.


	36. Chapter 36

“So you made your decision?” Luke asks as he sips on his coffee. I bite my lip and reply with a curt nod as I let my legs nervously tap against the kitchen cabinets. “Are you sure about it?”

“As sure as I can be, Mason.” I sigh as I pull a knee up to my chest. “I can’t put too much thought into it though. If I do, I’m sure I’ll find a hundred reasons to change my mind, and if I change my mind a hundred more reasons to change it right back.”

“Well, I know you’re making the decision that you know is best for you.” Mason interjects as he gives me an encouraging half hug. “I’ll give Dad a call so he knows to expect you.”

“Thanks, Mase.” My voice echoes through the nearly empty kitchen. Luckily, I couldn’t sleep, and everyone is still exhausted from last night. “I’m so freaking nervous about this.”

“You shouldn’t be.” Luke encourages and continues to talk as I focus on the day ahead of me. “Trust me, it will be fine.”

. . . .

“Hi, we’re Tidal Wave to see Mr. Malloy.” I tell my dad’s glorified receptionist, who ignores me the first five times I try to speak to her. “You can tell him that his daughter is here to see him.”

“Uh-I-did you say his daughter?” She questions as the color drains from her face. “I’ll let him know right away.” She quickly scurries off in a state of panic.

“Okay, that was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. Andy is like a superhero right now.” Matt chuckles as we all gather in the chairs of the open space to wait.

It’s a quiet, comfortable moment. I watch my friends as they do check their phones or talk to each other. I catch each of their eyes in turn and a sad smile comes across my face. “Guys, guys, check this out!” Damon practically yells as he waves his phone around. “Sam Smith finally got back to us about doing that song with us. He contacted us and wants to set up a session for later this week.”

I sit back in excitement. We all laugh, cheer, and celebrate together at the opportunity. That is, until John finally leaves his office. “Perfect, you’re all here. If you’ll follow me, the others are anxious to meet you.”

“Did you just say others?”

“Yes, and they don’t appreciate tardiness. Now come.” He insists as he leads us to one of the large conference rooms, and my stomach falls when I see what’s inside. Executives watch us stoically as we walk inside, and I notice the stage set up at the far end of the room. “Go ahead and get everything set up.”

“Um, John--” I stutter, my heart suddenly pounding against my sternum to where I feel like it will break through the bone. “--We didn’t come here to perform. I was actually going to give you my answer--”

“I know, which is why this is all set up for you.” He cuts me off before I can say anything else and takes a seat with his colleagues.

“What are we going to do?” Band Luke asks me as he pulls me away towards the rest of the band. “They expect us to perform, and I don’t think they’ll appreciate us not doing it.”

“Exactly. So does anyone have an idea of what we should play?” Damon whispers as we stand in a tight huddle. We all look at each other in silence, unsure of what to suggest. “Okay, how about we start off with  _ Runaway _ ,  _ Misery _ ,  _ Left Behind _ , and finish off with--”

“Finish off with  _ Broken _ .” I cut him off, knowing exactly how I need this to happen. “It’s what the song was written for. I need him to hear it, and this might be my best chance.”

. . .

“Okay, so this the last song we have prepared for you. It’s called  _ Broken _ .” I barely manage out the words without my voice cracking. For so many years, I have imagined the chance for John to hear the multitude of songs I’ve written about him.

My heart falters for a moment, and I fight back the tears that have started to brim in my eyes. Of every song I’ve written, this one hits the hardest of them all. “You gonna be okay?” Damon whispers before we start the song. I stare at a spot on the carpet and focus on my breathing before I manage to nod. “Alright. We’re here for you. You can do this, Andy.”

“Thank you.” I whisper before turning to Skylar. “Hit it.”

“One, two, three, four,--” She counts off and starts the beat.

I grip the microphone in front of me and listen to the instruments blend together. Then, I start to sing out.

“ _ Can we fix what we have broken? _

_ Can we make our way back home? _

_ When we have- _

_ Have broken everything- _

_ Just to make our own way? _ ”

The door to the conference room barely creaks open as Mason and the guys slip in. I give them a small nod as a silent thanks as I start to strum a few chords while I continue.

“ _ We started young- _

_ Just living, making our way _

_ In the city, the sting hurts _

_ Just a little more- _

_ More time for regrets. _

_ No time to look back. _

_ I lie awake just thinking _

_ Mom-- I miss you. _

_ Dad-- I hope you-- _

_ Forgive me. _

_ I just wanted to be--home. _

_ I found my own place. _

_ I found my own way-- _

_ I can’t come back anymore. _

_ I can’t forgive what’s been done to me. _

_ I wonder how I can fix-- _

_ The broken hearts, the broken family-- _

_ Memories of what I could have been! _ ”

I fix my gaze on my dad as I continue the rest of the song, and he stares back clearly uncomfortable as he shifts around in his seat. The other executives are clearly ignorant of the whole situation, but I ignore them as I continue.

“ _ Mom-- I miss you. _

_ Dad-- I hope you-- _

_ Finally learn who I am. _

_ I don’t need you to forgive me. _

_ I found my own way. _

_ I mended myself. _

_ I made my own home _

_ And I can’t come back anymore. _ ”

I step off the stage and walk over to where John sits. “We’re very sorry to have wasted your time, gentlemen. We truly appreciate your time and consideration, but we as a band feel it’s best for us to pursue other options.” I tell them graciously with a polite smile. John quickly stands up and pulls me to the side. “Look, I’m really sorry, Dad. I know you made this offer as a way to mend our relationship, but with us things are never simple. I know how with you, business comes first. With that being said, I don’t want that to hinder anything between us.” I continue to ramble nervously as I avoid eye contact with him.

“I understand.” He tells me with a sad smile. “I haven’t been a decent father to you. I understand that now, but I hoped that this would help us get on better terms.” He pauses and fiddles with his cufflinks for a moment. “I offered you and your band this deal, not because you’re my daughter, but because I believe you have what it takes. I just wish my poor parenting skills didn’t cause my label to lose what I’m sure will be a major player in the industry.”

“Are you--” I start to speak, but he holds up a hand to stop me.

“I know I wasn’t even close to being the father you deserve, but I’m trying to be better. It’s what this summer was supposed to be. Unfortunately, my pride got the better of me when you first came, and I couldn’t see past it. Now, I see the strong, independent woman you have become. I couldn’t be more proud.” He sighs and awkwardly wraps me in a hug. “You’re going places, kiddo. Don’t let anyone stop you or tell you differently.”

“Thanks, Dad.” I reply, the word feeling strange on my tongue. “So you’re not mad?”

“No, I’m not.” He smiles softly. Of every scenario I imagined this ending in, this was definitely not one of them. I look back at the group of my friends, who all smile at the obvious courteous exchange. “Let me take you out to lunch.”

“I’d like that.” I smile back at him and return to my friends to tell them the news. They each take their turn giving me a hug and congratulations on how well it all turned out. I take a deep breath as I catalog the moment in my mind. Because for the first time in a very long time, things are alright, and I’m genuinely happy.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! So this is my first time posting anything on AO3, so that's new. Just so you all are aware, I also have this story running on my Wattpad account, but I plan on posting further original works exclusively on here (and maybe even add some bonus content!). 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoy reading this story. Feel free to send me a comment of what you think! <3


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